Can I ask why? I am not saying they are the best but they are up there. Does any national team have a better midfield? I mean Modric is probably the best midfielder in the world. Rakitic is not far behind. Despite them not maybe having the best talent, they work so hard and good as a team. I am telling you Croatia will surprise you. I myself am going to be adventurous and tip them to win actually. This is their best chance, as next World Cup many of their players will be getting too old. The other thing is that no team looks like a very dominant side. Germany probably look the most convincing so far, but the chances of them defending their title are not very high. Not many teams are able to do that. Croatia also has a good record against Germany in competitive matches. Did you watch them in Euro 2016 by the way? Did you see how convincing they were? Remember they beat Spain without Modric and Mandzukic. They were very unlucky against Portugal, and also maybe not having the best game, but I believe if they got past Portugal, they would have won the tournament. They were the team I as an Italy fan feared the most after the group stage ended.
It's the better than 98 Croatia team bit that I dispute. I'd take the 98 team any day of the week: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia_at_the_1998_FIFA_World_Cup#Croatia_Squad
The 1998 team was really good. I suppose it might be comparable, but I believe this team's midfield is a good bit stronger and very versatile. Defense was better in 1998, but I think this team might have a better bench as well. Its probably comparable.
Looking at how bad Giabbiandini has been the last two months and how good Insigne is, I can't get over how Ventura was such a stubborn piece of shit to not get over his shitty ego and start him the last game against Sweden.