Croatian Sensation

@Footy_Headlines Nike delivered some great kits for Croatia, but that last one is a disaster. The new Adidas kit is beautiful 🔥

Nike 🆚 Adidas

The white space in the center mirrors the country’s distinctive shape. Nice touch! Nike did something similar with their World Cup 2022 kit, which really grew on me over time.

Nice nod with the ❤️🤍💙 collar to the iconic 1998 kit. The kit is 🔥

Croatia’s first Adidas kit (post World Cup!) leaked by @Footy_Headlines. 🔥The collar channels strong 1998 Lotto vibes, the Glagolitic script inside the red squares is a nice touch, and the white space in the center where the number sits mirrors the country’s unique shape. ❤️🤍💙

Imam dvije dvojbe. Prva je Smolčić/Juranović, druga Matanović/Ivanović. Sve ostalo je za mene kao izbornika sigurno kao u sefu. Neka dođu! 👊🇭🇷

My Croatia WC Squad. Beljo over Matanović because 30+ goals are 30+ goals, no matter the league, and Matanović is too similar to Budimir. Chose Ivanović over Pašalić because Franjo is better. L. Sučić out because he still comes off the bench. Moro in because he plays regularly.

🇭🇷Croatian strikers are on fire 🔥🔥. Beljo, Kramarić, and Musa all scored braces yesterday 💪Season stats below - league matches only. Such a shame that Ivanović is sidelined at Benfica. Mourinho is depriving this young player of a chance to participate in the World Cup😞☹️

12/12 There’s still plenty of work for Dalić and his staff before the World Cup. Let’s hope everyone stays healthy, keeps playing regularly and performing well at club level, and that Kovačić 🙏 and Gvardiol 🙏 are fit and in form for the tournament. 🇭🇷💪🇭🇷💪

11/12 But unlike Brazil, Colombia were less organized defensively and more vulnerable on the counter, and Musa nearly punished them twice.

Croatia 🇭🇷🇧🇷 Brazil. Random observations 1/12 Pitch seemed very fast, which troubles us more than opponents. It caused mistakes and lost balls in promising attacks. This was already evident vs Colombia. (Memories of artificial turf vs Estonia when Pjaca’s career was ruined.)

@Grandsoncr7 Well, that's honest

@crogoal I did just cause of his notable nostalgia reputation

Andrés Iniesta is an all-time great, no doubt, but Luka Modrić simply edges him for me and I don’t think people fully appreciate why. Modrić can do almost everything Iniesta does, but Iniesta can’t match a significant part of what Modrić brings. Iniesta was an excellent dribbler, a great passer, and a top-level tempo controller. On the other hand, Modrić is just as good if not better in passing, also a very good dribbler, and arguably an even better controller of tempo. Where Modrić clearly stands out is in his defensive contributions, interceptions, ball-winning ability, better playmaker, work rate, leadership, game intelligence, ball carrying, longevity, set pieces, and long-range passing. He’s an “ALL IN ONE” midfielder. He’s a complete midfielder who combines both intelligence and physical work rate. Iniesta, while incredibly intelligent, relied more on system and partnerships to truly shine. Modrić, however, can adapt and thrive in virtually any system. For me, Modrić is the most complete midfielder of all time the only midfielder I might rank above him is Zinedine Zidane.