Croatia look to upset the odds
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Croatia have gained notoriety for being the most unpredictable of all the 16 teams that have qualified for Euro 2012 and for this very reason teams should guard against taking them lightly.
England will surely testify to the Croats uncanny knack of upsetting a higher ranked team’s applecart when their hopes of reaching Euro 2008 received a jolt in a dramatic 3-2 defeat at Wembley four years ago that saw them miss out on a place in Euro 2008.
What should have served as a launch pad for their steady rise up the rankings and becoming a dominant force instead saw Croatia taking a steep fall with their lowest point coming in 2010.
Their failure to qualify for 2010 World Cup despite being placed in an easy group was considered a catastrophe. Manager Slaven Bilic, who was until then put on a pedestal, found his head on the chopping block.
But he was spared the sack given his track-record of transforming a bunch of no-hopers into a feared unit that could give even the strongest of teams a run for their money.
Bilic was determined to right the wrongs of their doomed WC campaign and went about revamping his team with an eye on Euro 2012.
The onus will once again be on talismanic Luka Modric, who was in sparkling form for Tottenham Hotspur at the English Premiership, to carry the hopes of his nation.
Their defence that wears an inexperienced look has been their achilles heel for a considerable period of time now and are susceptible to leaking goals from set-pieces.
Croatia finished a comfortable second behind table-toppers Greece in the qualification phase. What might be of a concern though is that they have been pooled alongside heavyweights such as Spain and Italy.
It is crucial that they get their campaign up and running against Ireland and a win against either Italy or Spain, which is not beyond their reach, would virtually assure them of a place in the knock-out stages.
Manager: Slaven Bilic: The Croatian FA sprang a surprise with the announcement of Slaven Bilic, who had no prior managerial experience at the highest level, as their head coach in early 2006. However, with the exception of 2010 Bilic has established the Croats in the top 10 of Fifa rankings.
After expressing his long held desire to manage a club, Bilic will step down from the post of Croatia manager after the conclusion of Euro 2012 to take charge of Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow.
Player to watch: Croatia’s captain Darijo Srna has been ubiquitous on the right flank ever since he made his debut a decade ago.
Mainly used by Shakhtar Donetsk as an attacking right-back, he was deployed on the right wing by Slaven Bilic during the latter stages of Croatia’s Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.
Croatia’s group: Italy, Spain, Republic of Ireland and Croatia.
Fixtures: June 10: vs Ireland; June 14: vs Italy; June 18: vs Spain.
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