“Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic gave the standard platitudinal response after his side’s 0-0 draw against Belgium secured their place in the knockout rounds of the World Cup. But then he couldn’t help himself. ‘Josko Gvardiol is the best centre-back in the world. To play this maturely, it’s amazing. The way he plays, with the elegance he carries the ball.’ Croatia are in the World Cup semi-finals having only been in the lead for 46 minutes in the tournament. Their collective fortitude and astonishing consistency in penalty shootouts are the most frequently cited explanations, but to get away with that you also need an extremely good defence. …”
The Athletic