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Posted 05/06/08 12:07
Oh you little beauties. I actually think I might be prouder than I would have been if Steve McClaren's England had beaten Germany. Players I like, managed by a boss I like, beating the pre-tournament favourites. And completely deservedly beating the tournament favourites at that.
After their opening game against Austria I feared that I had chosen an England substitute - a team that played well for 20 minutes to scrape a 1-0 victory over inferior opposition and spent the final half-hour camped on the edge of their own box. But I naively forgot that Slaven Bilic knew what he was doing.
Rather than send the same team out again with the same ideas, he took the best bits of that win against Austria and stretched them to 90 minutes. His choice of formation meant that they completely over-ran the physical and usually-dominant German midfield, with Luka Modric and Darijo Srna pulling the strings creatively.
Ivica Olic may not be the prolific striker in the mould of Miroslav Klose, but that's not a problem when the midfield is as mobile and willing as that of the Croats. Defensively (a pre-tournament worry) they were sound, with German striker Mario Gomez looking like a donkey rather than a striker with a close to one-in-two record for his club.
Bilic was brilliant - standing close to the pitch with arms waving, showing the kind of passion that clearly translates to his players. A goal was celebrated with a leap into a coach's arms - a reaction that makes you wish that he managed your country or club (if you ever fancy Huddersfield, Slaven...).
Before the tournament I picked Croatia as this year's possible Greece - but I doubt that I really believed it. Now, with the prospect of avoiding Portugal in the next round a very real one, I am starting to believe. Could Croatia be the next European champions? Probably not. Would they be the most poplar European champions amongst neutrals? Quite possibly so.
Rock on, Slaven.
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