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Will Croatia Play Without a ‘True’ Holder at the World Cup?
Published: May 15, 2014
Those who are really familiar with manager Niko Kovac's tactical leanings and the characteristics of the players in question will, however, notice one important detail: There’s only one "true" holding midfielder on that list, as reported by BBC Sport.
The kind of player we're talking about here is what is often referenced to as the "destroyer type" in football jargon—someone who is primarily a ball-winner rather than ball-player; physical rather than technical. A midfielder who can offer screening protection of the defensive line and act as a safety net for the more creative types around him.
Of the 10 midfielders who made the 30-strong list, only one fits the description: Ognjen Vukojevic.
The sturdy, experienced but often-doubted holder who plays for Dynamo Kiev can hardly be considered a sure starter, though.
In the three games since Kovac took over the helm—two against Iceland in the World Cup play-offs and a friendly against Switzerland—Vukojevic spent merely two minutes on the pitch.
Mate Males, also a typical ball-winner who plays for NK Rijeka in the domestic league, should have been in the squad as well. He had been called up for all those three matches and got his debut in the third, but he’s injured now.
There was speculation in the media that Kovac could instead call Dinamo Zagreb's Arijan Ademi or Napoli's youngster Josip Radosevic—both have already been capped—but that didn't turn out to be the case.
Croatia's boss was a holding midfielder himself in his playing days—and a good one at that, though arguably underrated. One would think that he, of all people, should understand the value of having such a player on the team.
But Kovac was never a classic destroyer type. He started as a more...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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