Dalić: “It’s not important who starts, but who finishes the match”

The victory over Panama brought a sense of relief...

“We are not at the level we need to be. We look much better in training. The most important thing is the three points, which were part of the plan, and that is what matters most. I don’t have much time for analysis because Ghana is coming up quickly. There’s no need to criticize a victory - we need to stay positive and focus on Ghana.”

On the game plan against Panama...

“We agreed not to rush things. Panama was waiting for our mistakes, and Ghana will do the same. Panama opened up quickly, and Ghana will likely do the same. We wanted to attack through the wings, and that’s how we scored. There should have been many more attempts like that. Ghana played in a low block in both of their matches and relied on counterattacks. That’s how they scored against Panama. They will play defensively and look for opportunities through Semenyo and Williams. We need to solve those situations much earlier instead of relying on our back line and defense to fix them. Several times against Panama, long balls caused us problems, and we need to improve our reactions. We have three days now, and we will improve.”

On Joško Gvardiol...

“Six months ago he had a broken leg. He’s not in top form, and we need to be patient with him. He has earned his status, and we have to give him time. It would be foolish to say anything negative now, and it’s unrealistic to expect him to return to full speed so quickly. He lacks match fitness and rhythm. I have no doubts about him, and he will certainly get better. After two training sessions, we’ll see what happens against Ghana. We will change some things in the way we play. Certain aspects of our current setup aren’t working for us, and we need to fix that.”

On comparing three World Cups...

“This is a new story. What we achieved in the past is a source of pride and honor, and nobody can take that away. But this is a new competition. We want to perform well, and the pressure is significant—especially after Ghana earned a point. It’s not easy, and you can see it in the players and in our performances. The pressure is high because this is something new, and we want to give our best. For some players, this is their last World Cup, and I’m happy that we dedicated this victory to Luka on his 200th appearance. Expectations are high, and we are aware of that. We’ll try to improve the national team, which has not been good enough in the first two matches.”

On the limited preparation time...

“We had a seven-day break at the start, but now the turnaround is shorter. Sometimes it’s actually good to play again quickly when the impressions aren’t great because you want to correct things immediately, but it does affect the players. We are very happy in Alexandria. We have peace, excellent conditions, and I have no complaints.”

On the strikers’ form and goals from open play...

“We scored goals from excellent team moves against England and Panama. They were well-worked attacking plays, not set pieces, and that is very encouraging. It’s also important and reassuring that the forwards are scoring. Budimir is extremely dangerous inside the penalty area, and I’m pleased to see that.”

On using a large number of players...

“We have used 19 players, and that’s a positive thing. We have depth and options, although the reality is that some players arrived lacking form. There’s a lot of debate about who should start, but what matters is who finishes the match. It’s important that those who come on bring energy and intensity. We were losing 3–2 to England, and our substitutes gave us a real boost. The same happened yesterday—they came on and brought energy. What matters is knowing that the players who enter the game can offer something different. I base my decisions on what I see in training; I don’t make changes on a whim. We assess what we need and select accordingly. That’s our logic. It’s more important who finishes the match.”

On Marco Pašalić...

“If he had scored against Panama, he would have deserved a perfect rating. He’s one of our few genuinely quick players. We gave him the nod ahead of Sučić because he’s a winger and that fit our tactical plan. He’s direct, vertical, and always brings something to the game. For the first goal, he played an excellent pass to Stanišić. He also helped defensively. We wanted him to find Perišić with diagonal balls, although that didn’t work as often as we hoped. He’s one of the few players who can consistently take opponents on one-on-one. Our intention was for him to attack defenders directly, and he did exactly that.”

On Martin Baturina...

“That’s why he starts—because he’s outstanding. He performs at a top level both for his club and here. He can dribble, and he can shoot. He played the full match yesterday and was our best player. He also covered the most distance of anyone on the team. We ran three kilometers more than Panama. Martin should just keep going like this; he has a brilliant career ahead of him.”

On Dominik Livaković...

“Dominik has shown that he is one of the best goalkeepers at this World Cup, but I don’t want him to have too much work. Still, everything he needed to save, he handled brilliantly. The national team is one thing and club football is another. That’s why the national team has been successful over the last eight years, and why he remained our number one even when he wasn’t playing regularly at club level. Livaković has been fantastic. Full credit to him—he saved us against England and against Panama.”

On Bosnia and Herzegovina...

“Congratulations to them. They are doing a great job, they are well organized, and it’s a major achievement for them. I wish them the best of luck going forward.”

On hydration breaks...

“Sometimes they help, sometimes they don’t. When you have momentum, they interrupt you; when you’re struggling, they can help you regroup. I would like to think they exist for the benefit of the players and not because of money. This has nothing to do with the players. I was a bit more forceful in explaining what wasn’t good, but sometimes that’s necessary. The break ended up helping us.”

 

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