Masters of improvisation: how Croatia reached World Cup semi-finals without a plan | Aleksandar Holiga

Zlatko Dalic’s side are facing England in the last four but back home there is no system for developing players. Could it be that the chaos actually makes them become good footballers?

As his team won the coin toss before the penalty shootout against Russia in the World Cup quarter-final, Luka Modric, Croatia captain, shouted across the pitch to his goalkeeper, Danijel Subasic: “Are we gonna go first?”

They didn’t. Despite evidence that the team taking the first penalty wins 60% of shootouts there was a certain logic in them choosing to go second; the Monaco goalkeeper is a penalty specialist, having let in only 58% of the spot-kicks he has faced in Ligue 1 and saved three out of five as Croatia knocked out Denmark in this World Cup.

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