Kovacic: “People are proud of us”

Mateo Kovacic, Croatian midfielder, assured that the “people” of his country are “proud” of what they did at the Qatar 2022 World Cup and hopes to “return to Zagreb with a bronze medal”, which will be played this Saturday against Morocco.

“I’m sure the people are proud of us, I hope we return to Zagreb with a bronze medal,” Kovacic said at the pre-match press conference.

“In 1998 – where Croatia was third – it was very important for Croatia and I remember how proud we were, dreaming that at some point we would be there again. We did it in 2018, reached the final, and we want another medal today,” he said.

Third place in 1998

A Kovacic who compared his importance to this team with respect to what he had four years ago at the World Cup in Russia.

“In 2018 I had a different role and I learned a lot. I saw how Modric or Mandzukic prepared for the tournament, and I learned from them how they prepared and fought for their country”, he commented.

Kudos to Morocco and Amrabat

In addition, Kovacic reflected on the level of his next rival, Morocco, and a Sofyan Amrabat who has been one of the revelations of Qatar 2022.

“Before the tournament we knew that the opponent would be difficult. They have a lot of talent, they showed it during the World Cup. They have a lot of support from their fans, but we’ll have it too, just like the rest of the tournament. I don’t agree that they have more support than us,” he declared.

Regarding Amrabat, he highlighted that “he has shown that he is a great player. I met him before the World Cup”.

The ‘tiki-taka’ debate

In addition, Kovacic commented on the debate on football styles that prevailed in this World Cup.

“I like the ‘tiki-taka’ style of football. It is difficult for me to say if this style has ended in football, as you say, while I believe that compact teams have the advantage to win games”, he analyzed.