Don’t expect any man-marking of Messi – Croatia

In their World Cup quarterfinal on Tuesday, Croatia declared they would not try to man-mark Argentina star Lionel Messi but rather would concentrate on paralyzing the entire squad.

After losing to France in the 2018 World Cup exhibition match, Croatia is attempting to get to the final for the second straight tournament.

They lost to tournament favorites Brazil in the quarterfinals after falling behind 1-0 in extra time, but they fought back to force a penalty shootout that they ultimately won.

“We don’t have a specific plan yet for stopping Messi and usually we don’t concentrate on stopping one player but the entire team,” striker Bruno Petkovic told a news conference on Sunday.

“We will try to stop them as a team and not with man-marking. Argentina are not only Messi, they have a number of great players. We have to stop the entire Argentina team,” he said.

Seven-time Awarded the Ballon d’Or The Argentines, who also required penalties after blowing a two-goal lead against the Dutch in their quarterfinal, have been led by Messi thus far.

After the return of Croatian defender Borna Sosa, Zlatko Dalic’s team is brimming with confidence and prepared for more. There are no players on suspension, and there are no injuries to worry about.

As they did against Brazil, their midfield of captain Luka Modric , Mateo Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic will be crucial to controlling the pace. Defender Josip Juranovic said the trio was completely dependable.

Mateo, Luka and Marcelo are the best Croatia midfield in history. I don’t think it can be repeated. When you pass them the ball it is safer than having your money in the bank,” the defender said.

The 117th-minute equalizer by super-sub Petkovic versus Brazil forced penalties, which Croatia won in all four of the World Cup shootouts they have participated in.

“I think many people who are not professional footballers can take successful penalties,” Petkovic said. “The difference is how mentally tough you are. There is huge pressure you have never experienced before. But it also helps when you have a world class keeper.”

Dominik Livakovic, the goalkeeper, stopped one of Brazil’s penalty kicks after stopping three of Japan’s in the Round of 16 shootout.

However, Petkovic’s spectacular equalizer after Brazil took the lead in extra time was what got them to the shootout.

“I am becoming more and more aware of the magnitude of this goal with each passing day,” Petkovic said. “Maybe I’ll experience something similar in the semifinal or beyond.”

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