Nations / Dave Farrar / 28 May 2008 / Leave a comment

After Slaven Bilic's Croatia dispatched the Three Lions at the home of football, there could be a window of opportunity for the more discerning punter. That's the verdict of our man, Dave Farrar.

Group B - Croatia

There are many of you who normally rub your hands with glee at the thought of England in a major championship. Prices contracted by misplaced optimism, lay them all the way, you know who you are. Well, if you're feeling strangely bereft, then I have a theory for you. Because Croatia were so impressive in beating England at Wembley, they have become the value lay of Euro 2008. Many punters flock to what they know, and, after watching such an impressive performance at Wembley, there seems to be a feeling that "if they're good enough to stop England qualifying, then they must be good enough to win it." I'm not so sure, I'm really looking forward to watching them play, as they're easy on the eye, but I wonder if Croatia are really as good as they're cracked up to be

HOW THEY QUALIFIED

I'm sure that England fans reading this need absolutely no reminder of how Croatia qualified for Euro 2008, those images from the rain at Wembley still fresh in the memory. But it was the hard work done before that which ensured that Bilic's team made it with a couple of games to spare. It wasn't a glamorous group and Croatia's two goalless draws against Russia emphasise that point. Their home form is extraordinary, and only Russia stopped them winning at home in this campaign. Their only defeat was in a match that didn't matter in Macedonia, and their 28 goals made them the 3rd top scorers in qualifying.

Coach: Slaven BILIC

Is there a more stylish coach in World football? I think not, and Slaven Bilic is also very very good indeed. He's a qualified lawyer, and you always get the impression that he doesn't really need football in his life, but he has learnt quickly and inspired Croatia to some massive performances in qualifying, not least the one at Wembley, all the more impressive because Croatia didn't need to win, but still had the pride to play supremely well. That's the sign of an excellent motivator. He learned his English by listening to rock music, and is the only coach at Euro 2008 to have played and sung on his country's tournament song. Pure class.

KEY PLAYERS

Niko KRANJCAR

An obvious selection, because many people will know him from his excellent form with Portsmouth, but still a player of the highest order, and vital in providing the link between the midfield and attack as a sort of Modric mark 2. He'll shoot from range with venom, and Bilic's stylish management allows him to play with the freedom that he needs to perform. Both he and Modric have the capacity to become every neutral's favourite player of the tournament.

Luka MODRIC

Tottenham Hotspur fans will have plenty of time to acquaint themselves with Modric over the seasons to come, but he showed flashes of what he can do in that win at Wembley. There's an old-fashioned Dutchness about the way he does things. He's brilliant at keeping possession, a clever yet often simple passer, he would have fitted very well into one of the old fashioned Oranje line ups. He is in many ways a classic Croatian number 10, in the mould of Boban and Prosinecki, but his level-headedness means that he's unlikely to get carried away with himself, as both of those great players sometimes did when it really mattered.

Ivan KLASNIC

Teams who play wonderful football often lack a "killer" in front of goal. Croatia will score plenty of beautiful goals but they need to win ugly as well, and, after coming back from a long spell out with serious illness, Klasnic, who will almost certainly start on the bench, could be the one. He is an out and out centre forward in the old-fashioned sense and reports suggest that he is fighting fit and back to his best. That best form saw him score 15 goals in 21 games in 2006 for Werder Bremen. Mladen Petric may have scored seven goals in qualifying, but a fit and firing Klasnic has the class that Croatia need in Eduardo's absence

VERDICT

How do you solve a problem like Croatia? On the one hand, I want them to do well, because Bilic is a great man and they are capable of playing sublime football. I mustn't let my heart rule my head, though, and logic says that they're being overrated for the tournament, particularly given the absence of the brilliant Eduardo. I think that Croatia could win the World Cup in 2010, but believe that Euro 2008 will come too soon for them. I won't back them to qualify, but can't bring myself to lay them either. My advice is, enjoy them, and get on them now for World Cup 2010. Oh, and a speculative bet on Ivan Klasnic at an astronomical price to be tournament top scorer wouldn't hurt.

Tags: Croatia, Euro 2008 Betting, Football Betting, Group B Betting