LONDON: On the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, the Croatian city of Split is swimming in a little extra pride at this summer’s World Cup. So too is the Saudi Arabian metropolis of Riyadh. The common bond? A 51-year-old who likes nothing more than to ride his bike and gorge on octopus salad.
Zlatko Dalić is arguably as understated as he is underrated. A former defensive midfielder with local side Hadjuk Split, he was never capped by his country and remained relatively unknown by his compatriots until last year. In October, however, that all changed. With Croatia precariously close to failing to qualify for the World Cup, coach Ante Čačić was ousted and Dalić — a close associate of Croatian football’s “Mr Big,” Zdravko Mamić — was installed as head coach.
Dalić had worked with some of the players during a stint as assistant coach of Croatia’s U21s. He masterminded a 2-0 win over Ukraine to secure a play-off spot, before beating Greece 4-1. Luka Modrić, the Real Madrid midfielder, called his new national coach “phenomenal.”
Much of Dalić’s earlier anonymity is down to him having not worked at home for close to a decade. Now, having navigated his country to the round of 16 with minimal fuss and maximum points — topping a group that included Argentina, Nigeria and Iceland — Croatia are just 90 minutes away from a place in the quarter-finals. Against Denmark tonight, they are undoubtedly favorites.
Unsurprisingly, Croatians are now more familiar with Dalić and his work.
“For me, Zlatko is one of the best coaches we’ve ever had,” said Ivan Vojković, a local fan out shopping in Split’s central market. “He’s a good person, a clever guy and leads Croatia like we have never been led before. All I really know is that he was in the Middle East for many years, but I think with him we can win the World Cup now.”
Many years is correct. In 2010, after cutting his teeth with sides in Croatia and Albania, Dalić accepted a coaching offer from newly promoted Al-Faisaly in Riyadh. After leading them to a seventh-place finish in his first year in charge, Al-Riyadhi newspaper elected him Manager of the Season with 58 percent of readers’ votes, 43 percent more than second-placed Gabriel Calderon.
Dalić’s performances attracted attention from league champions Al-Hilal, who recruited him in 2012. While he would only stay for two years before switching to Al-Ain, he remains popular in the Saudi Arabian capital having led Al-Zaeem to the Crown Prince Cup. When Croatia confirmed their place in the last 16 with a resounding 3-0 defeat of Argentina last week, Riyadh’s Kingdom Tower was lit up in Croatia’s famous red and white. An image of the building, tweeted by Dalić, was shared 7,400 times.
“Zlatko remains very popular there,” said Khalid Ghadin, who works for the Saudi Professional League.
“When he left Hilal he had many lucrative offers from clubs smaller than Hilal, but he rejected them all. It was the same when he left Al-Ain. He always said he would not be guided by money, and now he is coach of his national team.”
Despite Dalić having led Al-Ain to the UAE league title in 2015 and the Asian Champions League final the following season, there was speculation he was merely another yes-man for Mamić, the most powerful man in Croatian football. Yet, the talented tactician has shown in Russia that he calls the shots. When AC Milan’s Nikola Kalinić refused to enter the field in their opening game against Nigeria, citing lower-back pains, his furious coach sent him home.
“He has a good sense of things and is great with the players, which is important nowadays,” Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren told FIFA.com. “He concentrates on our psyche; that’s his big strength. We respect and admire him and without this togetherness and mutual respect, there would be no success.”
That quest for glory reconvenes tonight in Nizhny Novgorod. Croatia finished third at the 1998 World Cup, but Lovren believes they can eclipse that this month. With Dalić at the helm, the cities of Split and Riyadh also expect. The top response to Dalić’s Kingdom Tower tweet came from Saudi Arabia and includes a photo of the manager wearing an Al-Hilal scarf.
“The best coach in the world,” it reads. “Good luck and win the World Cup.”
Zlatko Dalic’s Saudi Arabian coaching stint serving Croatia well in Russia
Zlatko Dalic’s Saudi Arabian coaching stint serving Croatia well in Russia
- Croatian coach has impressed with his man-management at this year's World Cup
- Dalić’s performances attracted attention from league champions Al-Hilal, who recruited him in 2012
MI Emirates book ILT20 final spot with 7-wicket victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
- Allah Ghazanfar triple sets up 82-run stand from Al-Hasan, Banton
- MI Emirates to face Desert Vipers in the Season 4 final on Friday
SHARJAH: MI Emirates booked their place in the International League T20 final with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Despite an unbeaten half-century from Alishan Sharafu, the Knight Riders were restricted to 120/8, with Allah Ghazanfar starring with the ball, finishing with figures of 3 for 24.
The Emirates’ Shakib Al-Hasan and Tom Banton lcombined for an 82-run partnership to set up a final showdown against the Desert Vipers at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
MI Emirates made an early breakthrough in the second over, when Michael Pepper was run out for one by a superb direct hit from Andre Fletcher. Brandon McMullen followed soon after, trapped LBW by Muhammad Rohid for 13, as the Knight Riders limped to 31/2 at the end of the powerplay.
Liam Livingstone endured a difficult stay at the crease before being dismissed by Rohid in the seventh over, departing for just four.
With the spinners applying sustained pressure, boundaries were hard to come by, aside from Arab Gul’s 12th over, which went for 13 runs.
Alex Hales and Sharafu attempted to rebuild with a 47-run stand off 44 balls, but Ghazanfar struck with the final delivery of the 14th over to remove Hales for 29. Ghazanfar returned late in the innings to claim two wickets in the 18th over, dismissing Jason Holder and Sunil Narine in quick succession, as the Knight Riders closed on 120/8, with Sharafu reaching his half-century off the final ball.
In reply, MI Emirates were pegged back early when Fletcher fell for five in the second over to Ajay Kumar. Holder and Narine maintained the pressure during the powerplay, with Banton and Muhammad Waseem finding it difficult to rotate the strike as MI Emirates reached 26/1 after six overs.
The pair steadied the innings before Narine trapped Waseem LBW in the eighth over. Shakib then joined Banton and shifted the momentum decisively, striking Livingstone for a six and two fours in a 17-run 12th over, with the duo bringing up their 50-run stand in just 29 balls.
Banton reached his half-century off 49 deliveries in the 15th over, taking 18 runs off Holder to leave MI Emirates needing just eight runs from the final five overs. Although Shakib departed in the 16th over, MI Emirates completed the chase with 23 balls to spare to seal their place in the final.
Player of the Match Al-Hasan said winning the toss had been crucial.
“The bowlers were outstanding and kept picking up wickets, which made the difference. With the bat, the focus was on batting time and managing overs, especially against the spinners,” he said.
“That was my role today. In pressure games, losing wickets makes it very hard to recover.”
Knight Riders captain Holder said his team struggled to build momentum on a challenging wicket.
“Still, considering where we were midway through the tournament, I thought it was a solid effort overall. We came up short tonight but the commitment throughout the campaign was excellent,” he said.
“Andre was outstanding and everyone contributed at different stages of the tournament.”
