Striker Bruno Petkovic was at a press conference two days before the Croatia-Argentina semi-final (Tuesday, 8:00 p.m.).
There will be no individual marking on Lionel Messi. This was announced by the Croats before their semi-final against Argentina scheduled for Tuesday. It’s the whole team that they will try to stop.
Croatia will be aiming for a second consecutive final after the one lost in 2018 against France. In the quarter-finals, they overcame Brazil, who were the favorites. Despite being a goal behind in extra time, they found the resources to equalize and take Tite’s men to penalties. It was striker Bruno Petkovic who equalized. He was at a press conference on Sunday.
«I realize every day a little more the scope of this goal. Maybe I’ll experience something similar in the semis or so“, he confided.
On tactics against Argentina : «We don’t have a specific plan yet to stop Messi and it’s not our habit to focus on just one player. We focus on the whole team. We will try to stop them as a team and not mark individually. Argentina is not just Messi. They have a lot of very good players. It’s the whole Argentinian team that needs to be stopped.»
On the difficulty of penalty sessions : «I believe a lot of people who are not professional footballers can score a penalty, Petkovic said. The difference is made on the mental strength. There is a lot of pressure. But it also helps when your keeper is world class»
Croatian defender Josip Juranovic was also at the press conference. He talked about the strengths of his team. Mateo (Kovacic), Luka (Modric) and Marcelo (Brozovic) form the best midfielder in the history of Croatia. I don’t think they will ever be equaled. Giving them the ball is safer than putting your money in the bank.»