Reaching this semifinals, the overall feeling is different.
This is a critical point, and also a constraint.
Croatia has reached the semifinals for the third time, but failed to break through in the previous two attempts, which has filled many Croatian fans with a sense of tension.
As much as they yearn to reach the Champions League, they are equally uneasy.
Even though Croatia has performed very strongly in this World Cup, this sense of unease has always lingered.
After all, beyond the top four, Croatia has no experience to speak of.
From this moment on, every step is about creating new history, and therefore requires greater caution and seriousness.
After the Croatia National Team arrived in São Paulo, the entire team conducted closed training.
Having reached the semifinals, Croatia naturally cannot relax. Bešić also turned down all interview requests, even declining the organizer's request for an interview with Suker.
There's no other way; at this stage, no accidents are allowed to happen.
On the training ground, the Croatian players were training in an orderly manner.
Bešić stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed forward, his hands occasionally gripping something tucked under his armpit, clearly very nervous.
Bešić has led the team to win the European Cup, but in terms of the World Cup, he will face a new challenge.
He knows that if he can lead Croatia to the World Cup Champions League or even the championship, it will become a milestone in Croatian football history.
But this is also very difficult!
This requires them to take every step carefully, making all considerations and predictions.
"Alright, that's enough training for today!"
Bešić clapped his hands, signaling the end of training.
Tomorrow is game day, and he can't increase the training load now; everything that needed to be done has already been prepared before the game.
Next is waiting for the game to start.
Suker wiped the sweat from his forehead, picked up a ball from the side, and planned to practice shooting for a while longer.
At this moment, Van Stoyak walked over and stopped him.
"That's enough for today!"
Looking at Van Stoyak, Suker pursed his lips and nodded, then turned and walked towards the locker room.
Inside the locker room, his teammates were also quietly packing their things, and everyone's expression was heavy, clearly holding a great deal of tension for the upcoming game.
"Wow~~~ I feel like I'm suffocating!"
Dujmović suddenly grinned, spread his arms, and said, "Hey! Guys, can you not be like this? I feel like I can't breathe!"
Hearing this, everyone turned their heads.
"What's wrong? Aren't we normal?" Modrić said.
"Normal my ass!" Dujmović complained, "You've practically carved the word 'nervous' on your face. Hey! You guys have played in the Champions League finals several times, and even won the Champions League. You should be familiar with this kind of scene, so why do I feel like you're even more nervous?"
Hearing this, Suker and the others exchanged glances.
Saying they weren't nervous would be a lie, but they were indeed overreacting a bit.
But there was nothing they could do!
After all, for many of them, this World Cup has a different meaning, especially for players like Suker, Modrić, and Srna. If they miss this World Cup, they can't be sure what form their next attempt will take.
Moreover, whether they can maintain such excellent form as in this World Cup is also questionable.
They finally made it to the semifinals, and they are still in good shape, so they are naturally more cautious in their approach.
But what Dujmović said was not wrong.
They were indeed overreacting a bit.
"Then dance to liven up the atmosphere!" Rakitić joked.
Dujmović turned his head and clenched his fist: "Are you asking for a beating?"
Srna and the others couldn't help but laugh, and the whole atmosphere gradually became normal.
"That's right! Smile, don't be so serious. Netherlands is strong, but are we weak?" Dujmović waved his hand, "They're the ones who should be nervous!"
Suker immediately gave a thumbs up: "Awesome!"
The others also couldn't help but smile and nod.
The tense atmosphere was somewhat relieved.
After returning to the hotel and having dinner, Suker went back to his room.
He took out the match videos from Netherlands's previous games, intending to watch them briefly to further understand Netherlands's tactical system.
Just as Suker opened his computer, Bešić and Van Stoyak suddenly walked in.
"Coach?"
Suker stood up, puzzled.
Bešić waved his hand, signaling Suker to sit down, and then he and Van Stoyak sat down opposite Suker.
Bešić had a small tactics board tucked under his arm, covered with various indecipherable markings.
Suker couldn't understand them at all.
Bešić obviously understood this, so he wiped all the lines clean and redrew some routes, which made it clear to Suker.
"Netherlands's tactics are nothing more than total football, relying on Sneijder's midfield transfers and operations, and gaining effective offense through the impact of players like Robben and Van Persie in the front field!"
"But it's not just them, as I said before, total football, any position in Netherlands can push forward and become a threat!"
"This requires us to be extra careful!"
"There's also one more question: after entering the knockout stage, Netherlands has adopted a three-center-back system, but we need to consider whether Netherlands will adopt a three-center-back formation when playing against us!"
Hearing this, Suker raised an eyebrow slightly: "Probably not!"
Playing with three center-backs against Croatia would be no different from seeking death.
Croatia's sharp counterattacks could directly puncture a three-center-back defense.
No matter how strong those three center-backs are, or how closely linked, they are facing Suker!
Therefore, neither Suker nor Bešić and the others thought Netherlands would set up three center-backs.
"It must be four center-backs! If Netherlands dares to play with three center-backs, we'll go directly into positional play and launch defensive counterattacks!"
Listening to Van Stoyak's words, Suker also nodded slightly.
No problem with that!
Bešić continued to elaborate on his views, and after listening for a while, Suker finally understood.
"Are you worried that Netherlands will gain an advantage in the midfield, and then use the midfield to unleash Robben and Van Persie's offensive abilities?"
Suker asked.
Bešić nodded: "Considering Netherlands's match against Spain in the group stage, I have to make this assumption!"
Suker nodded, "But I don't think this assumption holds true. First, Netherlands's midfield intensity isn't strong enough to overwhelm us. Our midfield isn't weak. I think you understand Modrić, so you should trust him even more!"
"Secondly, Sneijder is indeed an excellent player, but he is no longer the Sneijder of that 2010 Inter Milan. His form is no longer at its peak. In the previous few games, they relied more on Robben's vertical breakthroughs on the wing to be effective. Therefore, I believe that them suppressing our midfield is an untenable idea!"
"If you are really worried, we can play a bit slower in the first half, and I can drop back to the middle more to support, which will stabilize the situation."
Suker could easily see Bešić's concerns, it was a simple truth.
When playing against Croatia, many people have one thought: to gain an advantage as much as possible in the first half, because once the second half begins, Croatia's resilience and sustained combat ability become a headache for them.
Many teams want to establish a sufficient advantage in the first half, and this has even become a habitual way of thinking.
Even Croatia itself, when choosing tactics, thinks about how to withstand the opponent's offensive as much as possible in the first half.
"Alright, maybe I really thought too much." Bešić rubbed his brow and stood up; "Then that's it, we'll play according to our original tactics!"
With that, Bešić was about to leave, but Van St Ajak showed no intention of leaving.
After Bešić left the room, Van Stoyak looked at Suker and said, "In tomorrow's game, you should move more towards the center!"
Suker raised an eyebrow slightly: "Move towards the center?"
"That's right, many teams choose to attack from both wings, which can both create space and pose a threat on the flanks, or even a five-pronged attack! But I think when playing Netherlands, central axis inter-runs and penetration are also a good method!"
Suker pursed his lips and said, "Netherlands's passing and pressing are not weak!"
"Precisely for this reason, they will commit a large number of players to attack, forming a large-scale press. But once this rhythm is disrupted, they will face counter-attacks!"
"Modrić can be the starting point for the counter-attack, but the tackling issue…"
Suker pursed his lips. If it were the old Vukojević, there might be a possibility, but the current Vukojević relies more on team collaboration and linkage. His individual combat ability is not that strong.
Van Stoyak smiled and said, "Do you know Vukojević's average tackle success rate in the past few matches?"
"How much?"
"The success rate is 79%!"
"That high?" Suker was slightly surprised.
In the future, there will be a French defensive midfielder named Kante. His tackle success rate during his peak was 82%.
Of course, this doesn't mean Vukojević can be compared to Kante.
After all, Kante has an additional extraordinary ability: coverage area.
Vukojević's coverage is not wide. He mostly operates in his own area. Once the range is too large, the effect will not be good.
But this tackle efficiency is already very impressive, especially since Modrić, who is next to him, also has good linked pressing ability.
If this characteristic is amplified, it might truly suppress Netherlands.
"Our previous matches were mainly focused on control, so after winning the ball, we would focus on possession and not immediately launch a counter-attack. Therefore, the feeling of this pressing wasn't very strong. We can just use this point to return to a defensive counter-attacking mode, after all, this is our main tactic, and future opponents will have very strong midfields, so we can't continue to suppress them like before."
Listening to Van Stoyak's words, Suker couldn't help but nod. He had to admit, it had some potential.
"What about the coach?" Suker asked about Bešić's attitude.
Van Stoyak said, "Mr. Bešić is a very cautious person."
With that one sentence, Suker understood. Van Stoyak hoped they would try to persuade him.
"He doesn't agree?" Suker continued to ask.
"It's not that he doesn't agree, he just doesn't want to disrupt the current state," Van Stoyak said.
Suker thought there was no difference between that and not agreeing.
But this makes things difficult!
Bešić is not Bilić. When Suker directly sidelined Bilić, it was because the entire National Team was his people.
Bilić's voice carried little weight!
But Bešić is different. These players were all brought up by him, and his prestige is immense.
If Suker were to rise up, he might be slapped down in an instant.
"Let's go talk to him first!" Suker exhaled.
A moment later, the two arrived at Bešić's room again.
Bešić folded his arms and smiled slightly as he watched the two trying to persuade him.
After Suker and Van Stoyak finished speaking, Bešić finally said, "Do you understand Vukojević?"
This question was clearly directed at Van Stoyak.
The latter immediately nodded and said, "Of course, I collect all his data!"
"Not just these few matches. Go back further. His performance at the club, his data and performance when facing strong players, have you paid attention to that?"
Hearing this, Van Stoyak was stunned for a moment.
Although he had collected a lot of information, he couldn't collect it as comprehensively as that.
"Suker, what did it feel like when you faced Vukojević in the Champions League?"
Bešić's sudden question made Suker pause.
What did it feel like?
His impression was a bit blurry, or rather…
"Did you have no impression at all?" Bešić stated directly.
Suker then nodded.
Bešić sighed, "Vukojević is a workhorse-type player. Of course, that's not entirely accurate, but he is indeed that type. His performance varies with different levels of pressure!"
"When the pressure is high, he will actively press, but the success rate is not high, and he can easily become a vulnerability!"
"But once the pressure is not high, his performance will be very outstanding. His pressing, rhythm, passing, and other aspects are all excellent!"
"I shouldn't say this about him, but the fact is, he is a player who excels when ahead!"
Bešić's meaning was clear: simply put, he excels at beating weaker teams.
Suker then had some impression.
To be honest, when Vukojević played for Lyon, he quickly became the starting defensive midfielder and performed very well in the League, but how well he performed in the Champions League, Suker had no impression.
Also, after joining Bayern Munich, he gradually lost his starting defensive midfielder position.
Even Guardiola changed Lahm's position, but he didn't play Vukojević, a traditional defensive midfielder.
All of this indicates one problem: there's a lot of hype.
Suker wanted to retort, but what Bešić said seemed to be correct!
"You started from data, which is correct, but you shouldn't focus on the data from just a few matches." Bešić shook his head. "Vukojević is my student, I understand him. That's also why I initially suggested he train in Ligue 1. I hoped he would slowly change these things, but I can only say that this is his style and habit, and it's difficult to change now!"
Bešić looked at Suker and said, "Some people are naturally strong-minded and can withstand all kinds of pressure, but some people are naturally sensitive."
Suker couldn't help but grimace.
What he said was correct. Don't let Vukojević's carefree appearance fool you; he's the most sensitive one in their circle.
"I know you want to add some unpredictability to the match to help us win better." Bešić looked at Van Stoyak and said, "But from now on, we need to place our bets where they belong!"
The unconventional path always carries some risks. Next, Bešić would walk the righteous path.
Bešić looked at Suker and said, "There are two more matches! In these two matches, everyone on the team, including the coaching staff and other support personnel, will serve you, and you have only one task."
Bešić's voice was strong and clear.
"Explode their flanks! Whether it's Netherlands or other opponents!"
The next day, the sun slowly rose from the east, and the city of São Paulo was gradually illuminated by the sunlight.
At the moment the light beams shone upon the earth, a wild atmosphere slowly began to rise.
On the streets, Netherlands and Croatian fans were everywhere.
Their faces were filled with nervous and expectant expressions, waiting for the opening of this semi-final.
The winner will get the ticket to the World Cup final, and the loser will bid farewell to the World Cup stage.
For Croatia and Netherlands, they both have a great obsession with this World Cup.
Croatia fell in the semi-finals of the last World Cup.
And Netherlands lost in the final!
They both have an obsession with the World Cup title.
Netherlands is the 'uncrowned king' of the World Cup, reaching the final three times, but failing to win the World Cup title each time.
Croatia is a rising star that has emerged in recent years, but also very powerful.
But unlike Netherlands' vast internal youth training foundation, Croatia knows very well that if this generation fails to win the World Cup, they don't know how many more years they will have to wait.
The hotels where the Croatia and Netherlands National Team were staying were also surrounded by a large number of reporters.
Due to the semi-final, they could only see the buses entering and exiting, and could not see the players at all.
For this reason, reporters were very curious about how both teams' players were preparing for this semi-final.
There were also many reporters who risked climbing walls to sneak photos in order to get first-hand news, but they were all arrested and taken to the police station, and would only be released after the match.
At the same time, these media were also listed on the unwelcome list of both teams, and their qualifications to attend the post-match press conference were also revoked, which was a loss rather than a gain.
As time gradually passed, the atmosphere became increasingly tense.
Finally, at three o'clock in the afternoon, in the camera, the Croatia bus slowly drove out of the hotel and headed towards the nearby stadium.
This meant that the long-awaited World Cup semi-final was about to arrive.
As the first match of the semi-finals, Netherlands and Croatia will, after a 90-minute or 120-minute showdown, ultimately produce one team that will enter the final!
This will also be the first team to reach the final of this World Cup!