A pivotal World Cup ahead for a peaking Croatian national team

Russia 2018 might be one of the final chances for the checkered chess masters from Croatia to prove their talent on the world stage.

Bolstering a mouthwatering squad, Croatia will look to navigate past their Group D opponents under the tutelage of head coach Zlatko Dalic and the brilliance of their midfield. It’s hard to be a fan of the beautiful game and not want to see the connection of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Ivan Rakitic, and company succeed.

Sharing a group with Argentina, Nigeria, and Iceland, they should be favorites to advance to the next stage, although stranger things have happened.

The Croatians will however not be relying on luck this summer, as they will look to emulate and ultimately succeed their best World Cup finish of third from two long decades ago.

From an outside view, it’s easy to write the team off as just another average European camp that has certainly outperformed their intercontinental rivals yet continue to have trouble when matched up against their continental brethren.

However, a deeper look into Dalic’s troops soon reveals a sense of promise as well as one of keen urgency.

Much like the representatives from Chile, Croatia are fortunate to have stumbled across a generation of elite players who represent some of the finest clubs in the world and now have a chance to all come together and fight for their honor on the world stage.

But just like their South American counterparts, the clock is ticking. The Croatian core is ageing, with the likes of former captain Darijo Srna already having departed from the game in 2016.

Subasic (33), Corluka (32), Modric (32), and Manzukic (32) are all at the peak of their powers and it’s unlikely that they will have a chance to see another World Cup in 2022.

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The younger guard such as Kovacic (24), Lovren (28), Rakitic (30), and Perisic (29) will look to support their mentors and make this World Cup outing one to last.

That’s not to say that Croatia hasn’t already had some vital generational players retire. Nor does it mean that they don’t have promising youngsters not in this World Cup roster ready to step up and fill in for these legends.

But now certainly seems like their best chance to leave it all on the field and show the world that they are more than just individual players; they need to show that they can be conducive and devastating as a collective team effort.

The Spanish-based midfield of Modric, Kovacic, and Rakitic will look to provide the creativity moving forward while Juve striker Mandzukic will look to showcase his deadly sharpshooting in front of goal.

Corluka, Vida, and Subasic along with their other defensive guard will need to be stolid in the face of danger and keep this team in the fight.

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Despite everything going on off the field surrounding the team, this summer is a chance to prove their undeniable potential and finally show out to the world as the talent rich market that everyone knows they are.