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Bilic keen to recapture spirit of '96
By Michael Harrold & Jim Agnew
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Croatia coach Slaven Bilic (¿Getty Images)
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There is pride in his voice as Slaven Bilic discusses EURO
'96T. His generation was the first to represent Croatia in half a century
and it was the first tournament his country had contested after the Balkan
conflict. Ask him about the highs and lows of a career that spanned 14
years and included an appearance in a FIFA World Cup semi-final, and it
is to that summer in England that he returns.
Suker goal
"As a player I was happy just to be a part of [the tournament] once,"
he told uefa.com. "I played in England - that's the place to play.
The saddest moment in my career was when we lost to Germany in the quarter-finals.
I thought we were better than them. My best memory though was when [Davor]
Suker equalised to make the score 1-1 at Old Trafford. At that moment
I felt like Manchester United were playing. There were a lot of German
fans and a few Croatians but all the neutrals, when Suker scored:,"
he pauses, recalling the moment. "That was the best memory of my
career." Matthias Sammer would strike the winner for Germany eight
minutes later, but by then Croatia had already set an example for future
generations.
'World class'
Now coach of the national side, Bilic believes there are clear similarities
between his current side and that team. "We have similar character,
a similar spirit, and we are even similar in our skill. You could say
that team had more world class players because in midfield you had [Aljosa]
Asanovic, [Zvonomir] Boban, [Robert] Prosinecki and up front you had [Alen]
Boksic and Suker. But we hadn't had a chance to play before because of
the war in Croatia. Most of us were 27 or 28 when we played in EURO '96
and the World Cup in 1998. This team is younger, unknown by the rest of
Europe, but I'm positive it will have a similar number of world class
players. It is a different time, but we have a good team now as well."
England defeated
Croatia proved that in qualifying, when they finished top of Group E and
knocked out England by winning at Wembley. For Bilic it was another important
step in the progress of a youthful side. Bilic was named Croatia coach
after the 2006 FIFA World Cup having impressed with the Under-21s, many
of whom will be joining the 39-year-old in Austria and Switzerland this
summer. "When I put three of them, [Luka] Modric, [Vedran] Corluka,
Eduardo [da Silva] straight into the first XI in my first game, a friendly
against Italy in Livorno, people said I was crazy, that I was too brave.
But I could do it because I knew them, because they were progressing with
me, not only in football, but in life. I simply knew they were going to
be good, that they were ready to play at the highest level. It helped
me a lot [being Under-21 manager] because I simply knew those guys."
Confidence
The ties are strong in the Croatia squad. Four of his assistants, Prosinecki,
Nikola Jurcevic, Marijan Mrmic and Asanovic played alongside Bilic at
EURO '96T. They are all close friends and together have passed on the
spirit forged at that tournament. "We're a really strong nation,
we have a good character," Bilic says. "But you do have to work
on it." Nothing helps build confidence as much as winning and Bilic's
side are getting stronger with every game. Victory at Wembley went a long
way to proving that Croatia should not be taken lightly. "We're never
going to be treated like England, France, Italy, Spain or Germany, but
we are good. But in some ways I would like this lack of respect to continue
because maybe teams think they can beat Croatia quite easily. But I think
players know we're good and they respect us a lot."
Greece example
Group B opponents Austria, Germany and Poland will pay due respect in
June. Eduardo's horrific injury has cast a shadow over Croatia's preparations,
but will not dent confidence. "All I can do is guarantee we're going
to do our best, that we're going to progress, that we're going to play
some good football. I can't guarantee the results but that should bring
us to the point where we'll be able to play against any team with equal
chances of beating them. I was happy for Greece in 2004 because Greece
gave hope to the smaller nations like us that we can do it."
Guitar man
To achieve that goal, keeping relaxed as well as focused will be key.
For Bilic that means playing the guitar. "Some guys play golf, some
guys play street football, others play chess, others spend hours on the
internet. I play guitar and I need it to do my job properly. Sometimes
it's my charger and sometimes it relaxes me but I definitely need it and
can't do my job without music." Hearing the Croatian national anthem
come kick off against Austria in Vienna on 8 June will be the sweetest
music of all.
Euro2008.uefa.com,
21 March 2008
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