England rested there key players against USA while Croatia played a difficult game against Spain. Croatia definitely more tired then England. England also has many more players to choose from. You mention both Badelj and Pjaca but they are not in good form as they are not getting much playing time same goes for Rog for 2 years now. Croatia will be fine there will always be talent as despite being a small country they continue to produce very good players. It's as Kramaric said it is in our genetics. We as Croatians are naturally good in sports.
Yes, good in sports, but results don't arrive on every competition. 20 years without knock out stage at World Cups, since France 1998. That's too much for one competitive nation. Uruguay, Switzerland, Portugal, who are also smaller countries, they have a cult of good results. Switzerland can pass the group stage, in 2006, 2014, 2018. Now top 4 in Nations League. Portugal is always here around top 5 positions. European champions. They mastered EURO competition. Since EURO 1996, they weren't weaker below 7th position at EURO's. Croatia often ended in Group Stages. Five Group Stages for Croatia at EURO's and WC's. And Group Stage in Nations League, position number 9. Croatia needs to have results at EURO's, among top 5. At World Cups top 10. And this shouldn't be some major thing to expect and to fulfil. If they lose against France in Davis Cup final, what can we add more? What to say? Always the same, close to the ending, and never Gold. The next Nations League is after 2 years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020–21_UEFA_Nations_League It would be better to use Rakitic, Modric, Brozovic, Perisic, Vrsaljko, Lovren in Final Four 2019 and in another A League competition and qualify for EURO 2020 and go in Qatar 2022 with some new names: Brekalo, Sosa, Vrsaljko as team leader, Ante Coric..that's my opinion, maybe some people are happy with only one blizzard, one medal and wait another decade or two to get the similar result. If you are in the mainstream, organisation respects you more, price goes up, TV rights, better sports infrastructure. Observe handball success, Croatia has around 10 new halls, because of Kostelic family success, Croatia has Alpine Ski race in Zagreb, which capital cities don't have, mostly villages up high. Without long term success, reputation vanishes. Observe Czechs, Hungary, Austria, they vanished today, no one talks about them, they are not in focus like before. Ordinary calculation says, that Croatia won't see A League until 2022. But if Croatia ends first in this B League. Four years of A League reputation. This is something that needs to be arranged, so that people say: small country in A league since the beginning. This A League is far much much better than any UEFA qualifications for EURO or WC. It was nice, interesting, dramatic, exciting. I watched other teams also. Plenty of talent, young players who made sparks. Croatia always makes the same mistakes, after great tournament, they lose and can't go further. EURO 2000 qualifications, defeat against Ireland, after being third in France. After EURO 2008, which was solid, there was no World Cup in South Africa. And those additional qualifications for EURO's, WC's...really too much. If Croatia gets Germany in qualifications, it's still OK, good tradition with them. Negative tradition became with those teams who have exit on Atlantic ocean in Europe: England, Scotland, France, Portugal, Netherlands can be complicated for Croatia, Spain - all Atlantic teams.
Croats always have problems with learning lessons. 1. Croats boycotted Yugoslav participation in World Cup 1930. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslavia_national_football_team "In 1929, the country was renamed to Yugoslavia and the football association became Fudbalski Savez Jugoslavije and moved its headquarters to Belgrade. The national team participated at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, finishing in fourth place. In its first ever World Cup match in Montevideo's Parque Central, Yugoslavia managed a famous 2–1 win versus mighty Brazil, with the following starting eleven representing the country: Milovan Jakšić, Branislav Sekulić, Aleksandar Tirnanić, Milutin Ivković, Ivica Bek, Momčilo Đokić, Blagoje Marjanović, Milorad Arsenijević, Đorđe Vujadinović, Dragoslav Mihajlović, and Ljubiša Stefanović. The team was the youngest squad at the inaugural World Cup at an average age of just under 22 years old, and became quite popular amongst the Uruguayan public, who dubbed them "Los Ichachos". The national team consisted of players based in Serbian football clubs, while the Zagreb Subassociation forbid players from Croatian clubs, some of whom were regulars in the national team until then, to play in the World Cup due to the relocation of football association's headquarters from Zagreb to Belgrade.[6]" 2. Now Lovren and some others consider UEFA Nations League as something bad and worthless. It's better to win or approach very high in every competition. After that it's optional to exam the value of one competition. If someone forms Mediterranean Cup, what could be bad with that: Croatia - Spain, Croatia - Italy, Croatia - Greece, Croatia - Algeria, Croatia - Egypt? Champions League was something new in early 90's, UEFA Cup was something new, Europa League was something new, even the World Cup was something new in 1930. Confederation Cup was something new. This Nation League will be an important competition in the next decade for sure. A League might place EURO in the shadow, because EURO and World Cups will have much more weaker teams as participants. There is too much of politics in Croatian sports, they make themes and topics which become huge burden for the players. Majority of these players had refugee reality in early 90's, their ancestors suffered in WWII, WWI. Dalic mentioned Vukovar as something motivating. What's so motivating in something that was bad and sad? Many of those players were born after 1991 and Vukovar battles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vukovar_massacre That's why all national teams have problems with results: basketball, tennis, handball, water polo. Marin Cilic an't convert 2-0 in sets into 3-0 and finish the match, he lost so many times 2-3 after he had the leadership. All clubs don't have good results, football, handball...the sports strategy should be changed in some newer, healthier approach. Observe how other countries implemented their multi-cultural atmosphere and placed in one dream. And it works in France, Germany, England, Belgium. Someone from Morocco and someone from Indonesia fight for the same Belgian dream. Someone from Martinique and someone from Senegal and someone from Algeria fights for the same, French success. Croatia had a lot of luck at this World Cup and even in this Nations League edition. 12 minutes from Final Four with swimming on the field, leaking everywhere in defence, Rashford and Sterling made what they dreamed. No wonder if they all make critical tones against Dejan Lovren in Liverpool. Before he didn't made mistakes when he played for Croatia, but now I understand his lack of responsibility. Even Gordon Schildenfeld was much more focused in defence and that pigeon birdie Danijel Pranjic. Pranjic really annoyed me when he played in Croatian team. Now Domagoj Vida annoys me like hell. Even if he scores two goals, he can be guilty for two goals in Croatian net. I remember the match of his Besiktas and Bayern Munchen, he slided and got the red card. Turbo folk child. Terrible musical taste. Croatia should hire Christian Pulisic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Pulisic He could play in Croatian NT, maybe with Modric, Rakitic and Brozovic in the middle. It would be trio of creativity. But Pulisic rather picked USA, because he knows that he is the main figure in that team. In Croatian team, he would be often on the bench, until these older ones don't retire. Olib residents have origins from Dalmatian Zagora hinterland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olib The most talented area for footballers, basketballers.