The All-Around Center Forward

Belarus defender Kashevski looked helplessly at Suker celebrating in the corner kick area.

From the earlier confrontation, he had tried his best to stop Suker, but still failed to effectively contain him.

Couldn't hold him!Couldn't push him!Suker's judgment of the ball's landing spot was so precise. Against such a top striker, split-second decisions were crucial.

But now, they simply couldn't keep up with Suker or Croatia's counterattack rhythm.

Too fast!

From the start of the counterattack, just 2–3 passes were enough to threaten the goal or even score.

Their players hadn't even retreated, but they had already conceded.

Belarus was drawn into World Cup Qualifying Group 6, alongside Croatia and England.

This alone was a source of despair for them.

England performed impressively.

But with Suker leading Croatia—the fresh European champions—the team was even more formidable.

Kashevski didn't want to admit his weakness, but facing Suker, he had to accept the huge gap between them.

"Suker! The hammer blow!"

Croatian commentator Krajsević shouted excitedly.

"The timing of that header's jump and the actions during the duel were perfect. Belarus couldn't restrict Suker at all—this is Croatia's super striker!"

"Since Suker returned to the league, he seems unaffected by injury. But we were still worried inside that this rising Croatian star might be ruined by injury. After seeing this goal, we believe Suker is still Suker. Look how brilliantly he plays!"

Krajsević's voice echoed through TVs across Croatia, while Croatian fans erupted in cheers.

A healthy Suker was Croatia's best reward!

In Euro 2008, they won the championship!

Now, this young checkered team was sharpening their claws toward the World Cup.

"Our playing style has changed!"

On the sidelines, Bilić stroked his chin thoughtfully.

In the past, Croatia's advances were quick but not as decisive as now.

Not slow, but more about passing and switching play.

Now, Croatia played decisively!

This feeling was especially strong!

"This is the bonus from being European champions!" Van Stoyak said, writing something in his notebook. He was busy during the game, carefully recording each player's state.

"Confidence!"

He tapped his chest lightly, "We used to be challengers, looking up to others mentally. So we played more conservatively. But after winning the European Championship, our mentality changed!"

"Being kings of Europe means Croatia stands at Europe's summit. We are the benchmark. As the strongest team recognized by the Euros, we don't need to adapt to other teams' tactics—other teams need to adapt to ours."

"After the Euros, confidence emerged. Rakitić, Kranjčar, Mandžukić, Modrić—they pursue a simple and efficient counterattack: 2-3 passes to the opponent's goal, then the fourth pass is a shot."

"Faster, stronger, more penetrating than before. We break through before the opponent can retreat. This requires tacit cooperation and a strong striker."

Van Stoyak raised his head, spirited, "And we have all of these!"

Whoosh!

On the field, Modrić turned and immediately played a forward pass.

Meanwhile, Suker and Mandžukić made a cross run; Suker pulled to the right, Mandžukić to the left, instantly creating a forward gap in the center.

Rakitić dashed through.

Suker, at the baseline, stopped suddenly, shook off defenders, and quickly delivered a sweeping pass.

The ball entered the penalty area; before the Belarus goalkeeper could react, Rakitić pushed it with the instep, and the ball slid into the near post.

19 minutes in, Croatia scored again.

This goal widened Croatia's lead and strengthened their advantage.

Belarus players looked dazed.

They simply couldn't keep up with Croatia's pace.

It felt like the two teams were playing different kinds of football.

"What a fast counterattack!"

In Spain, inside Real Madrid's coaching room, Pellegrini watched Croatia's counterattack efficiency on TV and exclaimed.

Pellegrini was also a coach who emphasized defensive counterattacks: solid defense first, then instant counterattack.

But his counters were nowhere near Croatia's level.

He was curious how Croatia's coaching staff coordinated this counterattack and allocated resources.

From the current situation, Suker's impact was fully mobilized.

To Pellegrini, Suker could handle various offensive styles, but a pure striker was his ideal state.

Of course, Suker's style could be adjusted tactically.

But watching this game, who could reject such a powerful, hard-charging Suker?

Yet counterattacks weren't just about Suker.

Modrić, Mandžukić, Rakitić, Kranjčar, Vukićević, and the two fullbacks all took part.

But such a counterattack needed a pivot!The core of attack-defense transitions.

Initially, Pellegrini thought Modrić was this core. The United midfield star had the capability.

But soon he realized it couldn't be done with a single core.

The counterattack was too fast!

Though Modrić participated, others had their roles too.

How to coordinate these resources and create such tacit understanding—that was key.

Pellegrini racked his brain for the critical point to solve this problem. Once solved, Real Madrid could adapt this template for counterattacks.

But Pellegrini needed time to study it.

Italy, Milan.

Mourinho also watched this match.

He followed it purely for Škrtel, hoping the defender could show more attacking in the next season.

But watching, he got hooked.

Croatia's defensive counterattack style was different from before.

The rhythm was too fast!

With high pressing, they controlled almost the whole match.

This wasn't active control, but passive control!

Active control is like Spain or Barcelona, keeping possession through continuous passes and advancing with the ball.

This is active possession control.

Croatia's control was different.

They were passive, off-ball control!

Using constant running, blocking, and intercepting to restrict opponents' passing lanes, forcing them into expected spots or traps, then slowly wearing them down.

Two templates!

Two styles, but the same ultimate goal.

Both aim to control the rhythm!

To Mourinho, this off-ball control fit his tactical ideas better.

His notebook was full of dense lines, many pointing forward, scribbled and messy.

In the end, Mourinho circled Modrić and Rakitić, marking them.

"Two deep midfielders covering large areas. One mainly defends, the other organizes, distributes, and transitions attack and defense. That's Modrić's job. But to relieve Modrić's pressure, they added Rakitić beside him, mainly for distribution. This is Croatia's secret to rapid counterattacks!"

"Two core outlets!"

Mourinho narrowed his eyes, tapping the table with a pen cap.

"Still not enough—two fullbacks, Šrna and Pranjić, overlapping and advancing."

He frowned.

"Running like this, can they really handle such intense stamina consumption if they get the ball? This is just like a track and field team!"