Vlašić: “I hope we can repeat the success from Qatar”

“When we walk past the hotel, we can see how friendly and close everyone is, and how warmly they welcomed us. It’s up to us to present ourselves in the best possible light.”

On his World Cup experience…

“This is my second World Cup, and there’s much less nervousness than at the first one. I won a medal in Qatar, and things are immediately easier when you have experience. We have a good group, a good team. I hope we can repeat that success. Everyone is healthy, there are no injuries, and I hope we’ll perform well.”

On Declan Rice from their days together at West Ham…

“You could see right away that he was a great player. I always knew Rice would reach this level — in training, the team he played for always won. We’ve stayed in good contact, we talk from time to time. I congratulated him when he reached the Champions League final. I wish him luck, but not against us.”

On the individual approach to matches…

“We have an analyst who sends us videos of the opponents that we study closely. There’s no doubt that we’ll be at a high level.”

On the penalties in Qatar…

“Of course I remember the penalties from Qatar. Before the World Cup, I said I would definitely take one if it came to penalties. Thank God I scored both times. I’ll be ready again if it comes to penalties, because that would mean we’ve gone far in the tournament.”

On cooling breaks…

“If you’re dominating, a break can disrupt you, and if you’re defending, it can help you. The heat is unbearable, so it’s good that we have cooling breaks.”

How to play against England…

“In my opinion, they’re a team with plenty of alternatives, one that can play in any system. We have to close down all the spaces.”

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