The coach of the Croatian national football team, Zlatko Dalic, pointed out that his team’s opponent in the round of 16 of the World Cup, the Japanese national team, will be anything but an easy opponent.
In addition, Zlatko Dalic pointed out that the most important thing for his players is to stay firmly on the ground.
“If we were choosing, maybe we would have chosen Japan as an opponent in the round of 16, but when we looked at their matches, we realized that it will be anything but an easy opponent,” Dalic pointed out.
“They finished ahead of Spain and Germany, and both national teams managed to overcome after a reversal. It is pure quality, there is no discussion. They were at a very high level and showed what it means to never give up. We have to be patient and concentrated, they can punish every mistake with quick counters, because they are certainly one of the most explosive national teams,’ said the Croatian coach.
Yesterday, Croatia played 0:0 against Belgium, which was enough for them to take second place in the group, behind first-placed Morocco. Japan won first place in Group E, defeating Spain 2:1.
“Already in the group, the national teams of Belgium, Denmark and Germany finished their participation, which speaks volumes about the equality in this tournament,” reveals Zlatko Dalic.
The selector of the current planetary vice-champions pointed out that his team must still be modest and stay firmly on the ground.
“We mustn’t even think that we have done a great thing, this is just one step and we are moving on.” If we had lost to Denmark in Russia after the 3rd win in the group, we would have been losers, and the situation is similar now. When you get past the group, you always want more, but we have to stay down-to-earth,’ concluded the Croatian coach.
