Mario Pašalić: “We have a good balance of youth and experience”

The Atalanta midfielder arrived in Alexandria after scoring the winning goal in Croatia’s final warm-up match before the World Cup against Slovenia in Varaždin. This will be his second appearance at football’s biggest tournament...

“Our group is difficult, but we come with a strong reputation. We have a good balance of experience and youth. The younger players have taken their opportunities and established themselves. I’m confident that we can repeat the results we achieved in the past.”

On the two systems Croatia uses...

“Most players are accustomed to changing systems. In modern football, coaches tend to have multiple options. For years we played with four defenders at the back, and now we also have the option of playing with three. Whatever system we line up in, we’ll give our all. Sometimes it has worked well, sometimes not, but the important thing is that we keep winning.”

On the key to playing against England...

“The defensive phase will be crucial—being compact, defending well, and tracking back. There must not be too much space between defense and attack. We have quality when we’re in possession and can always create something in attack.”

On the matches played so far at the World Cup...

“I watched the opening match and the first half of the game between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s still too early to make judgments. My impression is that teams are being cautious; everyone’s primary goal is not to lose. The cooling breaks? We expected that. We know their approach to sports, and the heat is intense, so the breaks will be helpful.”

Comparing the current team to the one in Qatar...

“We have a good mix of youth and experience, similar to what we had in Qatar. The squads are also quite similar. That doesn’t mean we’ll repeat the same success, but that’s certainly what we’ll be striving for.”

On the penalty shootouts in Qatar...

“I remember them. Nikola and I were standing next to each other, and we told one another that we wanted to take a penalty and that we were ready in that moment. There was no pressure—we were confident. Fans see it a bit differently; it was stressful, but we showed that we know how to handle pressure.”

On the new World Cup format...

“We’re a bit romantic about it, because we’re used to the World Cup being extremely difficult to reach. But the expansion has allowed some national teams to qualify more easily. We knew before the draw that our group would be tough. Everyone viewed Ghana, from Pot 4, as the strongest possible opponent from that pot, and we ended up drawing them. Then there’s England, and Panama, who were somewhat of an unknown. We can safely say that our group is very difficult.”

On his position in the team...

“Earlier in my career I primarily played as a box-to-box midfielder (‘number eight’), later as a defensive midfielder (‘number six’). When I arrived at Atalanta, we played in a different system, so I often played as an attacking midfielder (‘number ten’) or a second striker. In the national team, competition in midfield has always been very strong, so I most often played on the right wing because we had fewer options there.

I’m probably repeating myself to the point of boredom, but I’ll say it again: I’ll play wherever the coach asks me to. I’m ready, and adapting has never been a problem for me.”

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