There are three and a half days until the match between Croatia and Panama, some are already characterizing it as “historic”, and the lineup with which coach Zlatko Dalić will start in the 2nd round of Group L at the World Cup is still the top topic, and that was the main topic of the new episode of Mundocast 2026, in which football coach Domagoj Abramović and Sportske novosti journalist Damir Dobrinić participated.
We all accepted that the “fiery” will return to four in defense, but personnel solutions are still open. One of the possibilities is that the coach will have to decide whether to leave either Mateo Kovačić or Andrej Kramarić on the bench for the second game in a row.
– The selector decides, he is paid for that. It is not easy to leave two players like this on the bench for two games in a row, but this is the national team and the ego that exists in the clubs must be put aside. Especially in tournaments, the atmosphere must not be destroyed. Not even the best team in the world is immune to a bad atmosphere – said Abramović.
– But if you have such an ego that a minor role will bother you, then you better say so before the championship. Just as coaches must clearly announce this to their most experienced players earlier. I believe that Dalić communicated everything well. In my opinion, Kovačić was very good when he came on against England, and Kramarić, after Šuker and Eduardo, is our best scorer, feeling, top performer, against Panama we will be asked. The menu has a very difficult decision to make…
Dobrinić mentioned two more examples with which he wanted to emphasize the importance of accepting a higher goal…
– On the eve of Panama, there is no problem with whom we will play. Let’s say, Baturina or Kramarić is a great thing for us and the coach if both are fully ready. Let’s go back to Portugal where Martinez kept Cristiano Ronaldo for 90 minutes and didn’t bring anything close to the team. It also happened to them that they became a hostage of Cristiano Ronaldo, and he is not to blame for that. Luka Modrić is our greatest footballer and will remain so regardless of how this championship ends. But if he is not ready for 90 minutes, he should be taken out of the game earlier. If he is not ready in 45 minutes, then he should not start. I am stating this only as an example. In the match against Panama, everything will be asked about Croatia and now it is up to coach Dalić to choose how he wants to play against them. Dominate the possession and return Sučić towards Modrić and Kovačić, or play on the wing and bring in Marc Pašalić or something else…
According to information from the USA, Luka Vušković has been crossed, but this does not hinder his transfer. Brighton raised their offer to £45m.
– That would be a great move for his development, a step towards the biggest clubs. Even though Tottenham is a bigger club, even though it was written about the interest of Bayern, Brighton should not be understood as some kind of disappointment. And Guardiol had Leipzig on the way to City – our guests at Mundocast agreed.
In the matches of the past evening and night, the USA has already secured the first place in the group, and Turkey is the first national team to be eliminated. The first is also associated with Miguel Almirón – he became the first player to receive a red card for covering his mouth in an argument with a rival player. It was very interesting to hear
We will also announce a new set of four matches, among which the Netherlands – Sweden and Germany – Ivory Coast matches stand out.
