Speaking before Argentina’s World Cup semi-final with Croatia, Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni assessed his opponents’ abilities and highlighted his pleasure at seeing Luke Modrić continuing to perform at 37, saying:
“We’ve analysed Croatia a lot, they have great players and we know where they can hurt us. I’m not going to say what their strengths and weaknesses are, but we also know where they may be vulnerable… It’s a pleasure to see Luka Modrić on the pitch, not only because of his quality but also because of his behaviour. Those of us who love football want these types of players on the pitch… Croatia have a way of playing and they are not going to change it – it’s neither offensive nor defensive… We all know that it is football. If we do the things we need to do, the path to our goals will be easier, but this is a sport in which, sometimes, unfortunately, the best team does not win and we accept that.”
GWFN
