Scaloni knows Croatia's soft spots

AL RAYYAN, December 12

Argentina will trust their system when they face Croatia in the World Cup semifinals and believe they have worked out how to hurt the 2018 runners-up, coach Lionel Scaloni said today.

Croatia were not the favourites to reach the last-four stage again but they came through two penalty shootouts in a repeat of their 2018 exploits.

“They have troubled many national teams. I won’t mention the key players or their strengths and weaknesses but we’ve analysed where we can hurt them. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t,” Scaloni told reporters on the eve of the first semifinal. “We try to give it all on the pitch. Sometimes luck can be on your side. If we have a good performance, we’ll have an easier road to reach our objective. But this is football, this is sport, so sometimes the best team may not win.”

When pressed on Croatia’s veteran midfielder Luka Modric, who is still going strong at the age of 37, Scaloni said it was a pleasure to watch him play.

“He’s a role model for so many of us – not just because of his talent but also his behaviour,” Scaloni said. “All I can say is we should enjoy him. If you love football then you should enjoy players like him.” — Reuters