EURO friendly report card: Croatia

Results
Wednesday: Croatia 2-0 Israel (Perišić 4, Brozović 34)
Subašić (L Kalinić 46); Vida, Lovren, Ćorluka (Schildenfeld 46); Perišić, Badelj (Halilović 51), Modrić (Antolić 68), Brozović, Srna (Vrsaljko 44); Kalinić N (Kovačić 58), Mandžukić.

Croatia coach Ante Čačić fielded a new 3-5-2 formation and had Internazionale midfielders Ivan Perišić and Marcelo Brozović to thank for victory. Brozović set up Perišić for the first and got the second himself after Mario Mandžukić hit the post. However, captain Darijo Srna picked up an injury.

Saturday: Hungary 1-1 Croatia (Dzsudzsák 79; Mandzukic 29)
Croatia: Kalinić; Vrsaljko, Ćorluka, Schildenfeld, Vida; Antolić, Modrić, Kovačić (Srna 76); Brozović, Mandžukić, Perišić.

A trademark Balázs Dzsudzsák free-kick ensured Hungary drew with fellow finalists Croatia in Budapest. Mario Mandžukić had given the visitors the lead with their first shot on target, but Croatia created little else and Hungary deserved their equaliser. Srna was able to play the last 14 minutes, going close with a vicious free-kick.

What we learned
1) Ante Čačić continues to look for the right tactical formation after deploying a 3-5-2 strategy in Osijek and 4-1-4-1 in Budapest.

2) Ivan Perišić is still playing the best football of his career. After six goals in the European Qualifiers, he scored in Osijek and served up an assist in Budapest.

3) Coach Ante Čačić was not far from a fifth consecutive win but remains undefeated since taking charge.

Questions remain
▪ Which tactical formation works best for Croatia? Should they go with three or four defenders at the back?

▪ Croatia are still lacking a traditional left-back, with Domagoj Vida currently operating there. Is that a solution likely to prove effective in France?

▪ In-form Marcelo Brozović can play in several positions, but Čačić needs to determine exactly where he should be fielded to get the best results.

Room for improvement
Croatia's defenders can find themselves in trouble when put under pressure. With more of the action in their own half than usual during the Hungary game, Croatia's rearguard did not exude composure. The second half of that match revealed a number of problems at the back, though Ante Čačić's players may have had issues switching from one tactical formation to another as the coach continues to experiment.

EURO certainties (if fit)
Goalkeepers: Danijel Subašić (Monaco), Lovre Kalinić (Hajduk Split)

Defenders: Dejan Lovren (Liverpool), Vedran Ćorluka (Lokomotiv Moskva), Domagoj Vida (Dynamo Kyiv), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Šime Vrsaljko (Sassuolo)

Midfielders: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona), Marcelo Brozović (Inter), Ivan Perišić (Inter), Mateo Kovačić (Real Madrid), Alen Halilović (Sporting Gijón), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Domagoj Antolić (Dinamo Zagreb)

Forwards: Mario Mandžukić (Juventus), Nikola Kalinić (Fiorentina)

Media view
Nikola Lipovac, Jutarnji list football writer
"Ante Čačić didn't get his fifth consecutive win [against Hungary], but overall he can be satisfied, even though certain question marks appeared. If both coaches in Budapest wanted a simulation of a competitive EURO match, they really got it."