Part 27 of 32: The Croatian Interview
Zvonimir from Croatia joins us for part 27. Zvonimir is twenty and lives in the capital, Zagreb. He has been following the national team since the EC ‘96 qualifiers when he was 8. The first match he went to was Croatia-Ukraine 4-0 in ‘95. He is also a Dinamo Zagreb supporter.
I think Zvonimir for agreeing to the interview.
Tell us a bit about the Croatia football history and the football culture which exists.
Although the Repubilc of Croatia is a teenager, we have a rich football history. The first football club was HASK, founded in 1903 in Zagreb (the tradition of HASK will later be continued by Dinamo Zagreb). Back then Croatia was a part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. After the WWI Croatia entered the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and this country was admitted into FIFa. In 1930 the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (the same country but renamed in 1929) participated in the first World Cup in Uruguay.
During the WWII football didn’t die in the Independent State of Croatia but obviously people had other worries on their minds. A couple of friendlies were played with national teams like Switzerland and Slovakia. After the WWII the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia was formed, which Croatia was a part of, and that’s how it stayed until the declaration of independance in the early 90’s. Croatian players participated in the Yugoslavian EC and WC campaignes with a lot of success, a Croat Dražan Jerkovic shared the top goalscorer title in Chile ‘62.
Two other things worth mentioning: Torcida Split is probably the oldest supporters group in Europe (founded in 1950.), and Dinamo Zagreb won European Fair Cities Cup (what today is UEFA Cup) in ‘67. Our modern football history began with a 2-1 win over USA in a friendly in 1990 in Zagreb. We qualified for 5 out of 6 major competitions we had the chance to qualify for and hopefully we’ll continue that way.
Tell us a bit about the Road to the World Cup – the qualification, and the emotions the fans went through at the time.
After a disappointing Euro 2004 performance, we introduced a new coach, Zlatko Kranjcar. The draw put us into a rather difficult group with Sweden, Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland and Malta. We didn’t know what to expect, but the 3-0 win over Hungary promised a nice qualifying campaign. Everyone went ecstatic after a 1-0 in Göteborg against a strong Swedish side. We also humiliated Bulgaria 3-1 in Sofia and after that we were sure we would spend our summer in Germany. Even the embarassing 1-1 against Malta didn’t affect us much, because we beat Sweden once again and secured the first place. We ended the qualfiers with a 7-3-0 score, which is pretty impressive I believe. I went to 6 out of 10 qualifiers.
What style of football does the national team play?
Not so technical and attractive as before. We don’t have fantastic individuals, so we have to rely on a more physical style. Our greatest strenght is collective work throughout the whole match. We play in a 3-5-2 formation, which I think we have to abandon after the Cup. Our flanks have a very important role.
What do you think your country’s prospects are at the World Cup?
We should make the round of 16 although it won’t be easy, the battle for the second place in group F is wide open. A lot depends on the teams we meet if we make the 1/8 finals. I think reaching the quaterfinals would be a great result.
Who will be the most important player for your country?
I’ll say Darijo Srna although Dado Pršo is also a serious contender for this title. Srna is a set-piece master. Also, he’ll be a key to feeding our strikers with quality passes and crosses, therefore a lot depends of him.
Which player in your country’s side would you most like to get rid of?
Niko Kranjcar, coach’s son. He’s a talent, but phyisicaly not good enough for the big scene. He’s very easy to mark, so his great through passes from time to time shouldn’t be enough to keep him in the starting line-up.
Who are the players to watch from the other countries?
If we skip the obvious choices from the most serious title contenders (Ronaldihno, Messi…), I think a couple of African players could shine, especially from Ivory Coast and Ghana. Also worth mentioning: Ibrahimovic, Rosicky, Stankovic, Ševcenko… A whole bunch of superstars guarantee us an entertaining summer
What will be your excuse in the event of failure?
I disagree with a lot of things our coach does, but the result has been his allie for now. If we fail, all this things (starting with his son, the out-of-date formation…) will come to surface, and those things will be my excuse. There’s also the goalkeeper problem, I don’t have much confidence in them (it still hasn’t been decided who will be in goal against Brazil).
Have you got the right manager?
He’s done a good job so far. He had already proven himself as a club coach in Croatia and this was a natural step. He’s definetley a refreshment after the past two coaches.
What advice would you give him?
Nepotism is a bad, bad thing… But I’ll try to stop criticizing him until the Cup ends, because there’s nothing I can do. I find it better to try change my criticizm into positive enrergy for our guys to make a good result. The result will be his judge.
Which team do you most want to beat?
Brazil, of course. It would be fantastic to open the Cup with a win over the World Champions. And Serbia in the final, he, he.
Which opposition player will get the most criticism?
I just hope all the divers (including Croatian) get exposed and publicly humiliated. I would red card diving.
Where will you watch the matches?
I’ll watch the match against Australia at the Gottlieb Daimler stadium in Sttutgart, but I won’t be staying in Germany, unfortunately. The rest of the matches I’ll watch probably at home with a couple of friends. I’m not too crazy about watching games in pubs which is quite popular here.
How keenly will the World Cup be followed in your country?
Very, maybe even too keenly for my taste. Everyone will be very “smart” when it comes to football in June and I dislike that.
Who will be the player of the tournament?
Hard to say, but since I’m a big Kaka fan, I’ll use this chance and nominate him as a maybe less expected answer. But Ronaldihno is Ronaldihno…
Who will win the Golden Boot?
This is also very hard to predict, but I’m pretty sure it will be a Brazilian. I’ll go with Adriano (if he sets his mind straight).
Which team will disappoint the most?
Czech Republic. They’re not amongst the top favorites, but they do get a lot of respect. I loved their Euro 2004 performance but I think they are on a decline and I won’t be surprised if they don’t make it to the knockout stages. I also think that either Argentina or Holland won’t get out of their group and that would obviously be a big dissapointment.
Who will be the surprise team of the tournament?
Portugal. I know they are higly appreciated, but they are still not considered a top favorite. They have impressive individuals in offense, hopefully their less impressive goalkeeper won’t neutralize that.
Finally, Who will win the World Cup?
Brazil, I guess. Not very original, I know, but everything points to it. If they don’t win it, it’s completely their fault. A fascinating concentration of quality.
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For the rest of the interviews, check out the World Cup interview series page.
Tags: Croatia, FIFA World Cup 2006, Football Interview Series.
