Bilić keen to recapture spirit of '96

There is pride in his voice as Slaven Bilić remembers EURO '96™. 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.

Šuker 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] Šuker equalised to make the score 1-1 at Old Trafford. At that moment I felt like Manchester United [FC] were playing. There were a lot of German fans and a few Croatians but all the neutrals, when Šuker 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, Bilić believes there are clear similarities between his current side and that team. "We similar character, spirit and skill. You could say that team had more world-class players because in midfield you had [Aljoša] Asanović, [Zvonomir] Boban, [Robert] Prosinečki and up front you had [Alen] Bokšić and Šuker. 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 at 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 Bilić it was another important step in the progress of a youthful side. Bilić 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] Modrić, [Vedran] Ćorluka, 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. [Being U21 manager] helped me a lot because I simply knew those guys."

Confidence
The ties are strong in the Croatia squad. Four of his assistants, Prosinečki, Nikola Jurčević, Marijan Mrmić and Asanović played alongside Bilić at EURO '96™. 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," Bilić says. "But you do have to work on it." Nothing helps build confidence as much as winning and Bilić'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
Austria, Germany and Poland will pay due respect in Group B. 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 Bilić 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 would be the sweetest music of all.