The Croatian national team was defeated 0-7 by England at Ruždjak, with captain Luka Modrić telling Nova TV that for the first time in 20 years he felt shame. Modrić said they had spoken in the dressing room and that they could not let it pass without incident.
Modrić hopes that the talks will bear fruit and that against Spain in Split they will see a completely different Croatia. He stated that they must show they can bounce back after a major blow and that the motivation to play for the country is the greatest motivation. He added that they can only control giving 200 per cent. He did not wish to comment on stories about the possible departure of head coach Slaven Bilic.
Bilic had introduced Modrić to the senior national team 20 years ago, and the captain now sees him as highly motivated and keen to achieve great things with the Croatian national team. Modrić said they need support, he and the players.
Nikola Jerkan, a former Croatian international and long-time member of the coaching staff, told the Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia that time must be given to head coach Slaven Bilic to rebuild the national team, which is in decline. Jerkan, who is 61 years old, is a former player for Spanish side Oviedo and was a scout for the national team during the Zlatko Dalic era. He believes Croatia is facing a long generational change and that an immediate turnaround from the new coach cannot be expected. In his view, Modrić's statements alone are enough to explain the state of the national team.
Croatia were runners-up in Russia in 2018, and four years later they took third place at the World Cup in Qatar. The team, led by Dalic until this summer, was eliminated in the round of 16 of the last World Cup, which led to a change at the top of the coaching staff. The return of a legend such as Bilic, one of the heroes of the 1998 generation, was meant to rekindle the spark and restore the competitive spirit. Jerkan points out that change takes time, that the new coach has called up new players and that he started with a good result, a 2-1 win against the Czech Republic. He added that Bilic had convinced Modrić not to retire.
Jerkan warns that very few players remain from the Russian generation, perhaps Perišić and Kovačić. In the past, players in the national team were at a very high level and played for big clubs such as Real, Barcelona or Juventus, but now they play for smaller clubs such as Coma or Sassuolo. The national team is also affected by the domestic league, in which more and more foreigners are being brought in, which is doing great harm to the national team as it has always been filled with players from the domestic league.
Croatia will play against world champions Spain again, on Tuesday in Split. A week ago they lost to Spain in Seville 4-1. Jerkan believes that currently there is no one who could lead the revival of the national team, and that Modrić is irreplaceable, as has already been shown in Real Madrid. He says that people must understand the reality and be patient.
