Dalic Warns England V Croatia Opener Can Decide Croatia's Fate
Zlatko Dalic has put england v croatia at the center of Croatia’s World Cup plans, saying the 17 June opener in Dallas is the most important game and that a bad start could “destroy everything.” Croatia arrive after beating Slovenia 2-1, but Dalic’s concern is sharper than the scoreline: Mateo Kovacic, Josip Gvardiol and Luka Modric are still not fully sharp.
Dalic and England in Dallas
“Maybe, because the first game can destroy everything,” Dalic said when asked whether he would have preferred to play England later in the group stage. He went further by tying the opener to Croatia’s tournament ceiling, saying, “We can’t choose anything else now. The first game is the most important game. Against England we’ll fight, try to do our best and try to win.”
England are not arriving as a new opponent for Croatia. Dalic pointed back to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, where Croatia beat England, and noted that England have since beaten Croatia twice. That history hangs over a match Croatia will play in Dallas on 17 June with a different squad rhythm and a different physical condition than the one Dalic wants.
Modric, Kovacic and Gvardiol
The sharpest concern is fitness. Dalic said, “Kovacic, Gvardiol and Modric didn’t play much for a long time and are not in optimal form.” He added, “Especially Kovacic, he hardly played this season and now we need him.”
Modric still showed enough to score in Varazdin while wearing a protective mask as he recovers from a fractured cheekbone. Kovacic is coming back from injury, and Gvardiol is also returning from injury. Those details leave Croatia with talent, but not with a full-strength group heading into the first match that Dalic sees as decisive.
England's US preparation
Croatia’s final friendly came before they flew to the US, and the 2-1 win over Slovenia gave them one more result before the opener. England, meanwhile, flew to Miami a week ago for their US-based preparation, and Dalic singled that out as a sign of how seriously they are taking the buildup.
“It shows how serious your team is when they come to America nearly 20 days before to prepare everything,” he said of England. Croatia finished third at the 2022 World Cup and were runners-up in 2018, but Dalic’s message before Dallas is narrower than either of those achievements: the first match will shape the rest, and his side know they need to be ready from the first whistle.
