It won’t be a surprise if Croatia beats Brazil, says Croatian-born Brazilian Eduardo da Silva

The Brazilian naturalized Croatian Eduardo da Silva would not be surprised if the squad led by Modric got a place in the semifinals over Brazil in the World Cup in Qatar. The teams face each other this Friday (9), at 12 pm.

According to him, it is necessary to be careful with the European team and especially what is thought of lesser teams in competitions such as the World Cup. Da Silva even cited prejudice against players from teams like Morocco, Croatia and Japan.

“When Croatia and Morocco tied in the opening, everyone thought it was the worst game of the Cup. Now, the two teams are there in the quarterfinals, with chances of going through. They are teams that were built for that. I saw more criticism of the more praise for Livakovic for having saved. In the game between Morocco and Spain, it wasn’t the Spaniards who missed the penalties, but the Moroccan goalkeeper who took it. Do you see the difference? At this stage of the Cup , you don’t play beautifully, you play to qualify. You have to have respect for smaller teams”, he said.

With strong roots in Croatia, where he lived for eight years, Eduardo da Silva recognizes that the country’s soccer culture is something that has been growing stronger. Since 1998, when it played its first Cup, the country reached a 3rd place (in that year) and runner-up in 2018, but was left out of the South African edition, in 2010.

“Brazil is the favorite to win the game and the Cup, of course, but the competition starts for Croatia now. It didn’t play well against Japan, but it remains a strong team. It has the heart of the team, which is Modric, the lungs, which are Kovacic and Brozovic, in addition to Perisic, who is always constant on the good side. I still mention Gvardiol, only 20 years old, who has been playing good games, and Livakovic, who is a safety if the match goes to penalties. It doesn’t surprise me if they win against Brazil”, he analyzed.

Croatia’s mentality is also what the former player sees as a possible difference between the Croatian generation and the Belgian generation, which left the World Cup eliminated and with cracks in the squad becoming public.

“It’s the kind of thing Croatia doesn’t allow. Rebic and Kalinic are examples of that. The message is clear: external problems cannot take over the group. The group has to be closed in on goal. That mentality remains in all circumstances . It was already like that in my time, for example”, he says.

Eduardo retired from football in 2019. He traveled to Croatia in 1999 after being scouted by scouts from Dinamo Zagreb aged 16. He went through Arsenal (ING), Shakhtar Donetski (UCR), Flamengo, Athletico Paranaense and Lérgia Warsaw (POL). At the age of 39, he works as an intermediary, taking young Brazilians to Europe, to make the movement that he did.

Do you see a difference in treatment between the major and minor selections?

When Croatia and Morocco drew in the opener, everyone thought it was the worst game of the Cup. Now, the two teams are there in the quarterfinals, with chances of going through. These are teams that were built for this. There is a feeling of prejudice against Croatia due to the draw with Japan, for not having played well. It was the team that reached the final in 2018, which was highly rated even before the tournament, and now it seems that it has no value. I saw more criticism of the Japanese for missing penalties than praise for Livakovic for saving. It is his credit. Croatia have always made good goalkeepers and in 2018 they also played penalties to reach the final.

In the game against Morocco and Spain, it wasn’t the Spaniards who missed the penalties, but the Morocco goalkeeper who took it. Do you see the difference? At this stage of the Cup, you don’t play pretty, you play to qualify. You have to be respectful with smaller teams. It is necessary to look at the specific issues of this team. Football today is collective and does have its favorites, but there is equality when you reach a knockout phase.

Why is the Croatian generation different from the Belgian generation?

Belgium opened up the problems in the squad in this World Cup, with discussions and even public statements by the athletes. It’s the kind of thing Croatia doesn’t allow. Rebic [não foi convocado] and Kalinic [cortado durante a Copa de 2018 porque se recusou a entrar em campo] are examples of this. The message is clear: external problems cannot take over the group. The group has to be closed on the objective. This mentality holds in all circumstances. It was like that in my day.

Croatia is a small country, just like Belgium, and it has a very strong tactical school. It trains good players in all positions on the field and is now investing in having more soccer fields. They know that guys like Modric, Rakitic, Brozovic, Perisic and others are not going to be around forever, so they need new athletes to emerge. They are paving the way for this.

Is it a surprise if Croatia beats Brazil?

For me, who lived in the country, it is not. I believe that Brazil will create more chances during the game because they have a very strong wing game, but Croatia will also be able to attack well. If Brazil doesn’t convert its chances, it will probably be complicated during the match, because the Croats are assertive.

For me, Brazil is very strong in defense, with Alisson and the four who play closest to him, in addition to Casemiro. In the attack, there’s Vinicius Junior, the best player on the team in the Cup for me, Neymar, Raphinha hungry for a goal, Richarlison who can solve it, in addition to Paquetá further back, so it’s a very qualified team.

Brazil is the favorite to win the game and the Cup, of course, but the competition starts for Croatia now. It didn’t play well against Japan, but it remains a strong team. He has the heart of the team, which is Modric, the lungs, which are Kovacic and Brozovic, as well as Perisic, who is always on the good side. I still mention here Gvardiol, only 20 years old, who has been playing good games, and Livakovic, who is a security guard if the match goes to penalties. It doesn’t surprise me if they beat Brazil.

Croatia receive criticism for not having a striker like Suker. It’s fair?

I think this falls a little short of a specific team analysis. The coach has been rotating the team well, especially in this sector, and has two attacking styles. The heavier ones, who make a good pivot and hold the ball more, like Kramaric, Livaja and Bruno Petkovic, and faster players, like Budimir and Orsic. They are used in different ways depending on the game, and not all of them need to shine for the team to win. Football is collective. Look at Giroud. He was champion in 2018 and did not score a goal. Kane, who was top scorer in Russia, is playing a passer role, opening spaces. The game this year is being wingers. Is it better to be champion or score 10 goals and lose?

This Cup is having a high number of injuries and some are serious. In 2008, you went through a tough time. How was it to recover?

The injury is always difficult due to the mental aspect of the player. Unfortunately, in my case, I came to be seen as a ‘broken car’, because my injury was serious. I spent almost a year to play again and two years to recover mentally, to feel confident in my body. It’s just that football and football are different, so they tend to trust athletes who have a serious problem less. Shots that I missed before I got hurt became big problems or criticism. Goals I scored before I got injured turned into luck, not merit. That, to me, is the problem and what I think players need to get over.