'I worry for them' - Joe Cole believes Croatia could struggle to reach Qatar World Cup knockouts after Morocco draw
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Published 23/11/2022 at 13:12 GMT
Croatia were held to a 0-0 draw with Morocco in their opening 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage game, despite Luka Modric's best efforts to spur his side on. Speaking after the match, former Liverpool and Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole said that Croatia looked like they were a team in transition, and in a group that features Belgium and Canada, they could struggle.
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Former England playmaker Joe Cole said that Croatia were underwhelming in their 0-0 draw with Morocco in their World Cup group game and that, ‘I worry for them.’
Croatia were not at their best compared to their 2018 World Cup heights when they finished as runners-up, and with Luka Modric now 37, he remained their standout player despite having limited success.
Speaking on ITV after the match, Cole said: “I think the Morocco manager will be a lot happier getting a point. Croatia did nothing to allay my fears they're in transition. They’re bitty. They didn’t have that spark they did two to four years ago. They lacked something in the final third.
“I worry for them in this group. With Belgium and Canada, this is a real tight group.
“I think [Morocco] will grow into that group.”
Former Manchester City and Netherlands midfielder Nigel De Jong was asked why both Morocco and Croatia had failed to spark into life, and he suggested a conservative approach from both was to minimise the chances of defeat in the first game.
“That’s a good question,” he replied. “Very disappointing performance. It looked like both of the teams were playing not to lose, rather than actually win the game. It’s the first game, you don’t want to lose, you're already behind. It’s a good thing [to draw] when you can’t score goals.
“Even Modric tried to play but it was not really going forward.
“If you look at the group, Belgium are the clear favourites.”
Former Wales international Hal Robson-Kanu paid tribute to Morocco for the effort they put in, in order to win a point against their rivals, who went into the match as the clear favourites.
“Credit here to Morocco, they were looking leggy. They put in a real shift,” he said.
“Croatia, what you want to see from them is they’d be more decisive and penetrating. It was too comfortable at times and they didn’t do anything to hurt the Moroccan defence.”
A point means that they will still have to play to win their next game, first against Belgium on Sunday and then against Canada next Thursday.
Belgium play Canada later on Wednesday night as both sides look to get early points on the board in Group B, with Croatia’s next match coming against Canada and then against Belgium,
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