Slaven Bilic is back as Croatia manager, replacing history-making Zlatko Dalic, and faces England in Rijeka in the Nations League on Saturday. The 58-year-old, who previously led Croatia from 2006 to 2012, returns after a 23-month hiatus from work, having last managed Watford.
Bilic's appointment marks a shift in style from his predecessor. Dalic, who led Croatia to second and third-place finishes at World Cups, was known for a restrained, humble persona. Bilic, by contrast, is direct, eloquent and passionate. In July, on his first public appearance back in the job, it was as if someone had opened the windows and let in fresh air.
Building on past foundations
Bilic is seen as the natural successor, not only because he knows the team well but because he laid the foundation for Croatia's recent success. He started to plant what blossomed into Luka Modric's and Dalic's team, making Croatia dream big for the first time since his generation of 1998 as a player. A cornerstone was the famous 3-2 victory at Wembley in 2007, when Croatia won not because they needed to but because they could.
He is also credited with convincing Modric to stick around. Fittingly, the 41-year-old Modric scored the first goal of the second Bilic era, in a 2-1 win in Prague against Czechia last Saturday, and rushed to embrace his manager. “Luka is everything to us, he’s just incredible,” Bilic said.
New approach under Bilic
Under Dalic, Croatia often waited and relished their underdog role, then were deadly on the counter, despite not having many quick players and despite a creative midfield being their main strength. Bilic wants to dominate; he wants his players to press high, take more risks and for more players to arrive in the opposition area. He wants his centre-backs to step up with the ball rather than wait for Modric or Mateo Kovacic to drop back to the edge of the box and take possession. He wants his team to be brave, attacking and as passionate as he is.
It is too early to tell after two games – the second a 4-1 away defeat by a vastly superior Spain, for which he rotated heavily – but there are clues. Bilic believes he can succeed with a squad that, despite significant infusion of fresh blood over the years, is still dominated by veterans such as Modric, Kovacic and Ivan Perisic.
Bilic's belief
Bilic always believed. In 2012 he believed his Croatia could win the Euros (they went out in the group stage) and now he says he can match Dalic's success. In a 2015 interview, he said he didn't believe in comebacks, but that didn't stop him keeping faith in bigger things.
