Zlatko Dalic was under pressure right from the start of his appointment as the Croatia manager in October 2017. He had announced that he would continue only if Croatia qualifies for the 2018 World Cup and if not, the authorities would make the next call. What happened next was nothing short of a miraculous journey.
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Under Dalic, not only did Croatia qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but went all the way to the final where it was eventually defeated by France. He received the Franjo Bucar State Award, the highest honour in Croatia, for this achievement.
However, Croatia could not live up to the expectations at the Euro 2020, getting knocked out by Spain on penalties in the pre-quarterfinals.
Heading to the Qatar World Cup, Dalic reformed the team as most of the players that played the final in Russia are gone. Josip Sutalo and Borna Sosa have been included in the squad. Due to a good campaign in the qualifying stage, where it topped its group ahead of Russia, Croatia found itself clubbed in a rather easy group alongside Belgium, Morocco and Canada.
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A former midfielder in the Croatian league, Dalic usually deploys the 4-3-3 formation, but against tougher sides, he occasionally switches to the 4-2-3-1. He possessed a strong and experienced midfield with the presence of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic.
Croatia will kick off its Qatar World Cup campaign on November 23 against Morocco.
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