Accompanying the return of the Croatia National Team players, the National Team Training Center also became lively.
The entire Training Center was also completely renewed, with updated training equipment and newly laid turf.
The renovation of the National Team Training Center's turf dates back to the Davor Šuker era in the 90s; thanks to their outstanding performance in the World Cup, the National Team's relevant departments and equipment were all replaced.
Now, with Suker and others further demonstrating their powerful combat effectiveness, football has become a very important part of Croatia's cultural output to the world, and daily training equipment naturally needs to keep up.
Stepping on the brand new turf, the feeling was simply different.
The overall turf quality was excellent, likely laid according to the highest European professional turf standards, and the number of staff at the entire National Team Training Center also increased significantly.
In particular, the daily care of the turf requires dedicated personnel.
Bešić was giving a speech on the new turf, still the same old rhetoric, nothing new, but the players' attention was mostly on Jatgenich behind Bešić.
Jatgenich showed a slight smile, as Suker and a group of other players were constantly winking at him, a way of greeting.
As a key person who brought Suker and this group of players into Dinamo Zagreb, he had a very good relationship with them.
"Finally, there's one more thing," Bešić slightly turned his body, and Jatgenich stepped forward.
"I think you are not unfamiliar with him; Jatgenich officially joins the coaching staff starting today, primarily responsible for information collection and analysis."
After speaking, Bešić nodded to Jatgenich, who took a deep breath and said loudly:
"I am very happy to work for the National Team. The Croatia National Team is now a top-tier strong team in the world. Working in such a team puts some pressure on me, but I will definitely overcome these pressures and deliver my best work performance. At the same time, I hope the players trust me, and let us work together towards an even greater goal!"
Finally, Jatgenich smiled, "Long time no see!"
As soon as he finished speaking, with a whoosh, Suker and the others immediately rushed forward.
Dujmović, Vukojević, and Modrić, among others, grabbed Jatgenich's limbs and tossed him high into the air amidst his frightened cries.
At the same time, the players cheered loudly
Everyone was roughhousing, and the other coaching staff members looked at Jatgenich with some envy.
They did not receive such treatment when they joined the coaching staff.
However, they also understood that Jatgenich had a very close relationship with this group of players, so they didn't think much of it.
At the same time, they also felt that this atmosphere was really good.
After the welcome ceremony, the training camp immediately began.
Bešić still followed the original procedure, first conducting some physical examinations.
He had to grasp the players' physical condition, even though these guys claimed there were no problems, some hidden dangers still existed.
Therefore, before the training camp began, he directly took all the players to the hospital for physical examinations.
This examination took an entire afternoon, almost using up the first day's training time.
Players who completed their physical tests first returned to the training base for self-training.
Suker and the others were the first to finish, so they returned to the training base.
They didn't engage in very intense training but instead ran around the field, chatting as they ran.
"Did you hear?" Dujmović said mysteriously, "Šimunić met with the coach privately!"
Everyone turned their heads.
"Where do you get all this information?"
Dujmović: "These messages are easy to get; the coaching staff is all talking about it. I just overheard it by chance."
Modrić nodded, "Šimunić is still playing in the local League, right? Which team is he on now?"
"Varaždin!" Pranjic said.
Suker turned his head, "A promoted team? I haven't heard of them?"
Pranjic: "They were promoted in 2008 and have remained in the top local League ever since. Their overall level is good, but it's difficult for them to progress further!"
Suker nodded, "How is Šimunić's performance?"
Pranjic: "His form fluctuates quite a bit. When he's good, he can defend anyone, but when his form is poor, it's a bit of a crime."
Modrić grimaced, "Isn't there a good defensive midfielder?"
Šimunić relies heavily on the support of an excellent defensive midfielder, and in terms of partnership, he also needs a faster player to compensate for his slow turning speed.
Of course, most of the time, he is the one trailing, but he can't stop the opponent's fast counterattacks.
"It depends on how he is used!" Pranjic, "He's very strong in aerial duels, after all, he's tall, and his judgment of the landing point is very accurate, and he has enough experience. But once he enters a chaotic battle, he feels a bit overwhelmed and can easily be dribbled past!"
Suker, Pranjic, Srna, Modrić, and other players formed the first tier, running and chatting.
Behind them, Vida, Strinić, Perisic, and others formed the second tier.
They had almost no say among these big shots, so they didn't interject and just listened quietly.
However, listening to their conversation, Vida, Lovren, and others felt somewhat wary.
Šimunić was their previous starting center-back and also the former captain of the Croatia National Team.
Although he was older now, after the last European Cup, they completely took his starting position, and he also lost the opportunity to enter the National Team.
But that doesn't mean it's already decided!
Kovac has already clearly stated his retirement from the National Team and is now basically in a semi-retired state.
But Šimunić is different!
He still wants to play in another World Cup and is working very hard for it.
With the World Cup as a premise, it's not new for the coaching staff to call up some experienced veterans.
One could even say that if there are some unexpected events, such as Vida or Lovren getting injured and missing the World Cup, these veterans would be the first choice to enter the National Team to fill the position.
Lovren gently nudged Vida with his elbow, who turned to look, and Lovren gestured with his chin towards the side.
The two quietly left the team.
When they reached the corner of the field, Lovren asked, "Do you think Šimunić can return?"
"I don't know." Vida shook his head, "But it's not impossible!"
Lovren thought for a moment, "The coaching staff won't break up our partnership, will they?"
Vida: "They shouldn't, I feel like I'm playing well."
Currently, Vida has become a very reliable center-back at Manchester United.
Although he hasn't fully replaced Ferdinand's position, he has gradually started to make an impact.
However, Vida also has a problem, which is that his judgment of the landing point is not particularly precise.
He himself doesn't have Šimunić's absolute height, so when his judgment of the landing point is insufficient, he is in a passive state.
Coupled with the fact that Lovren is not an aerial duel player either, this was also the reason they almost stumbled in the last round.
Vida felt some urgency.
The reason was that the coaching staff clearly intended to increase aerial defensive strength, and he had nothing to say about that.
Once Šimunić returns to the team, his position will inevitably be impacted.
"Let's find Rakitić or Luka and practice judging the landing point."
Lovren suggested.
If he had to choose, he would also prefer to work with Vida, as they were already a center-back partnership and had developed a good understanding.
Moreover, Lovren didn't particularly like Šimunić.
The reason was simple: when he first joined the National Team, Šimunić had played many excessive jokes on him.
The two were quick to act; at the end of the training camp that day, they found Rakitić.
However, Rakitić made an excuse and left.
Eventually, they found Modrić, who was very willing to help.
"Landing point judgment?"
Suker, who overheard their conversation from the side, walked straight over: "No one is challenging you for aerial duels; what are you judging!"
With that, Suker extended his arm, hooking Vida and Lovren's necks with his elbow, and walked directly towards the penalty area.
"Vida for the first ball, Lovren for the second ball!"
Suker grinned, "Today's task: successfully win and clear ten aerial duels!"
Vida and Lovren were immediately full of energy.
Suker's willingness to help was absolutely a great thing.
But the next second, Suker turned and shouted, "Mario, come over for aerial duels!"
Mandžukić was almost off the field, turned around, and glared, "Why? You go yourself!"
Šuker retorted, "You've gone stupid making plays at Bayern, you've forgotten how to win headers. I'm letting you review heading, what's with all the nonsense? Don't you want to score?"
Mandžukić's eyes lit up; "You're willing to pass to me?"
Šuker snorted, "Haven't you seen my assist stats this season?"
"Alright!" Mandžukić scurried over excitedly.
It wasn't just Mandžukić; Perisic and Kranjčar all ran over, and even Rakitić, who had already left, shamelessly came back.
Šuker wanted to pass, wanted to assist.
This temptation was truly irresistible!
If they didn't practice their coordination well now, when others were scoring left and right, he would only be able to watch, which would be truly frustrating.
What was originally a training session for four people suddenly became lively.
Bešić watched this scene from his office window and couldn't help but smile.
This was the effect he wanted, using veterans to lead the new players.
Šuker and the others wouldn't begrudge this time, after all, for them, their biggest wish was the World Cup.
The 2014 World Cup was different for the entire Croatia, including both players and fans.
They had moved beyond being dark horses and had become a top team in the entire world.
At the very least, in Šuker's era, they were top-tier.
Almost every position was extremely strong, making them definitely a favorite to win the World Cup.
Therefore, they also hoped their teammates would become even stronger; only then could they achieve their goal more quickly.
Bešić pulled down the curtains and turned to the gathered coaching staff, saying, "Now it's our job. We must win the next match."
Bešić's voice was serious.
The next World Cup European Qualifiers match was an away game against Belgium.
As long as they won this match, they could secure their World Cup spot in advance, so there was no room for error.
The five consecutive days of training focused on team cohesion. Players had different playing styles in their respective clubs, so returning to the National Team required adapting to their new roles.
This required a certain amount of time for adaptation.
Fortunately, most of the players were very focused on training, so the results were also very good.
On October 9th, the entire Croatia team departed for Belgium under the watchful eyes of numerous media and fans.
Belgium is a Western European country, bordering France and Netherlands to the north and south, which has led to unique regional divisions and a chaotic language system.
The southern region is predominantly French-speaking, while the northern region is predominantly Dutch-speaking.
And the Capital of Belgium is a bilingual area. The differences in language have led the entire country to appear fragmented.
The north-south conflict is also intensifying daily.
The root cause of Belgium's internal strife also lies here.
After all, in one country, two languages are spoken, and some players can't even understand what their teammates are saying, so communication is a problem.
Coupled with the inherent north-south conflict, where neither side is willing to accommodate the other, they naturally become like strangers, with no cooperation to speak of.
Belgium also placed extreme importance on this match!
This was their last chance!
Only by winning against Croatia at home would they have a chance to contend for the top spot in the group.
The key is 'hope'.
Because Croatia would have to lose two consecutive matches!
Although this was not very likely to happen, they still had to take a gamble.
After all, if they could avoid playing in the playoffs, they would, as this would greatly reduce their match pressure.
However, it should also be a problem with Croatia.
As the 2012 European Cup champions, Croatia is undoubtedly the strongest team in Europe and even the world currently.
Every position has strong players, and there are almost no flaws in the front, middle, and back fields, making it very difficult to find a breakthrough.
Hazard was very annoyed.
He had just been severely beaten by Real Madrid, led by Šuker, at his club, and now he had to face Davor again in a National Team match.
Moreover, compared to the club, current Belgium would not give him as many tactical resources.
This was completely different from Croatia, where everything revolved around Šuker.
At the very least, Hazard had not reached Šuker's status, where everyone in the Belgium National Team had faith in him.
"Tomorrow's match, I need more tactical resources. If you pass to me, I can score," Hazard said to his teammates in the Belgium locker room.
He naturally knew that his status as a key player at Chelsea commanded respect from these teammates, but there were also some who didn't care for him.
Those were the players led by De Bruyne and Vertonghen.
De Bruyne even pretended not to hear, turning his head and walking away.
If it were in the past, Hazard wouldn't have cared, but the situation was different now; if he wanted to win, he had to get De Bruyne's help.
"Hey! Can't you hear what I'm saying?" Hazard's tone was very stiff.
De Bruyne turned his head: "That's not the attitude for someone asking for a pass. I'm your teammate, not your slave. You have no right to order me around!"
"If you don't pass to me, we can't win the match!" Hazard said, narrowing his eyes.
De Bruyne laughed: "Are you overestimating yourself? Why can't we win if we don't pass to you? Do you really think you're Šuker?"
One sentence completely broke Hazard's composure.
"Bastard, explain yourself to me!"
"My meaning is simple: if you want me to pass, fine, but your attitude needs to be better. Don't think you're the boss here, you're nothing!"
Hazard suddenly rushed forward, but was held back by someone.
Lukaku anxiously held Hazard back.
On the other side, Vertonghen also pulled De Bruyne back.
Hazard looked like he was about to rush up and hit someone, and De Bruyne wasn't backing down, shouting loudly:
"You're nothing! Why do you order me around? You're not Šuker, and you're not gonna be as good as him.!"
"Your dribbling is good?" De Bruyne sneered, "Go back and watch that match. What was your success rate for dribbling, and then look at Šuker's success rate! You're nothing! Show some damn respect! Bastard!"
Hazard was trembling with anger.
Lukaku felt like he could barely hold him back, turning his head and shouting, "Cover Kevin's mouth!"
"Mmm mmm mmm let me talk! Let me... mmm mmm~~~"
De Bruyne was pulled out of the locker room by Vertonghen, and this conflict was declared over.
However, Hazard's expression was extremely grim.
In this conflict, De Bruyne almost made the conflict public, and it also cost Hazard his face and prestige in the National Team, which was another point of anger.
He wanted to become the leader of the National Team, but this was not an easy task.
At the very least, De Bruyne and these Flemish people from the Dutch-speaking region did not obey him!
After Lukaku comforted Hazard, he also appeared particularly helpless.
He had a good rapport in the locker room and no linguistic divisions, so he often played the role of peacemaker.
However, this conflict was a bit too big, and the impact was not good.
Both of them were swearing at each other and almost came to blows.
And with a major battle imminent, how could such an impact be good?
Lukaku sighed with a headache, "Tomorrow's match will be tough!"
Unlike the restless atmosphere within the National Team, the entire Belgium was still very agitated.
As the Red Devils of Europe, Belgium had missed five consecutive World Cups, and now with the emergence of a golden generation including Hazard, Lukaku, Vertonghen, De Bruyne, Fellaini, and Dembele, they once again saw hope of reaching the World Cup.
Even based on the individual strength of the players, they also believed that the entire Belgium was very strong.
Even though their opponent was Croatia, who were currently on an unstoppable rise, they still believed they had hope of defeating Croatia at home.
Therefore, the entire Belgium's attention and coverage of this match were positive.
They all looked forward to the team defeating Croatia at home, allowing the European Red Devils to reappear on the World Cup stage.
Moreover, unlike before, they also expected this Belgium National Team to deliver an even better performance, break historical best records, and usher in a new era.
Amidst this atmosphere, the Croatia National Team arrived in Brussels, the Capital of Belgium.
They were about to face Belgium's golden generation at the 'King Baudouin Stadium'!