Nfter the serious injury to national goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, record-breaking German champions FC Bayern Munich are apparently interested in Croatia’s World Cup hero Dominik Livakovic. According to information from the pay TV broadcaster Sky, those responsible for the club have already started talks with the 27-year-old’s management. The goalkeeper is under contract with Dinamo Zagreb until the end of June 2024.
Livakovic is one of the guarantors for the success of the Croatian national team, which will play Argentina in the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar on Tuesday (8 p.m. / ARD and MagentaTV). The keeper particularly shone in the penalty shoot-out against Brazil and Japan. Bayern’s CEO Oliver Kahn saw the quarter-final duel against Brazil live in the stadium and was able to get a personal impression of Livakovic.
Dominik Livakovic was the celebrated man after games against Japan and Brazil
Quelle: Getty Images/Alex Grimm
Another option that is much discussed in public would be an early return of Alexander Nübel, who was loaned to AS Monaco. Bayern captain Neuer says he will be out until the end of the season after breaking his lower leg while ski touring.
11:07 a.m .: Deschamps trusts its own offensive strength
France national coach Didier Deschamps trusts in the offensive potential of his team in view of the defensive strength of semi-final opponents Morocco at this World Cup. “Hopefully we’ll find a solution,” said the 54-year-old. “We analyzed their games, we will try to decode them, create chances and score goals,” said the French coach.
Kylian Mbappé (5 goals) and Olivier Giroud (4) are the top scorers at the World Cup so far
What: AP/Ebrahim Noroozi
World champions France have Kylian Mbappé (5 goals) and Olivier Giroud (4) as the two top scorers of the tournament up to the semi-finals. Morocco have conceded just one goal in their five games so far. “It’s a fantastic achievement that they reached the semi-finals,” said Deschamps, who wants his team to become the first team since Brazil 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup title. There is “no secret of success,” said captain Hugo Lloris: “We work hard together and score more goals than our opponents.”
10:43 a.m .: Germans believe in France’s title defense
Among the four semi-finalists, France is the big title favorite for the Germans. This is the result of a representative survey by the opinion research institute YouGov. 28 percent of those surveyed believe that the French team will become world champions and successfully defend their title from 2018. Significantly fewer votes fall on Argentina with superstar Lionel Messi in second place (14 percent). 12 percent believe in the World Cup surprise team Morocco, less than one in ten believes in runners-up Croatia. 37 percent did not provide any information.
YouGov surveyed 2,623 people aged 18 and over in Germany on Monday of this week. The results were weighted and are representative of the German population aged 18 and over.
09:38: Morocco’s coach is self-confident
Before the semi-final against “the best team in the world”, Morocco’s national coach Walid Regragui left no doubt about his team’s goal. “We want to make history and put Africa at the top of the world,” said the 47-year-old before the game against France on Wednesday (8 p.m. / MagentaTV and ZDF). “If we were happy to be in the semifinals, a lot of people would agree – but I wouldn’t. We are among the top four and want to make it to the final.”
The closer we get to this goal, the “closer we come to our dream, we will fight for it,” said Regragui, who, according to his own statements, will definitely not have to do without any of the injured players against the soccer world champion. “We want to win for Africa, we want to win for the developing countries – from a football point of view.” Morocco is not the favorite in the semi-finals, “but we are confident, a bit crazy,” said Regragui.
08:57: Bilic explains Croatia’s secret of success
The former national coach and Bundesliga professional Slaven Bilic thinks the Croatian national team is so successful precisely because the country is so small. “That’s why our players have known each other since they were ten or eleven years old,” wrote the 54-year-old Watford manager in an op-ed for British sports magazine The Athletic. The Croatians are in the World Cup semi-finals for the second time in a row. The opponent on Tuesday evening is the two-time world champion Argentina (8 p.m. / ARD and Magenta TV). The former Yugoslav republic has only been independent since 1991 and has only about 3.9 million inhabitants.
“Most of the players are from Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split, so they know each other very well,” wrote Bilic. “Even in my generation from 1998, Zvonimir Boban played for Dinamo Zagreb and I for Hajduk Split – and always together with eight or nine other players. I’ve known Boban since we were ten. We weren’t teammates, we were friends.”
8:26 am: Ex-coach Zaccheroni raves about Messi
According to former coach Alberto Zaccheroni, superstar Lionel Messi’s strong World Cup is also related to the changed style of play of the Argentine national team. “They really got the most out of the tournament’s best player: Lionel Messi,” said Italy’s Zaccheroni, who is a member of Fifa’s Technical Study Group. Before the clash with Croatia, the 69-year-old praised the South Americans’ ability to adapt to their opponents. “They did very well from one game to the next.”
The quality of the 35-year-old Messi is particularly evident when Argentina is in possession of the ball. “Messi is someone who decides the games. He shows a wonderful tournament,” enthused the former national coach of Japan and the United Arab Emirates. Argentina have shifted the game well, especially in transition phases. “They played well between the lines and gave Messi a chance to be a playmaker.”
8:14 a.m .: Kuntz criticizes the DFB
The former German U21 national coach Stefan Kuntz believes that changes beyond personal consequences are crucial when dealing with the early German World Cup failure. “Just hiring a new person in charge is of no use if that person cannot bring about any changes at all,” said the 60-year-old. It is important to consider “what can be changed in the current structures,” said the Turkish national coach.
Stefan Kuntz calls for profound changes in the DFB
What: AP
The path must also be paved for the desired changes, said Kuntz, who coached the German U21 national team from 2016 to 2021 and celebrated two European championship titles with them. From a sporting point of view, Kuntz complained that no German player “reached 100 percent of his performance limit” at the tournament in Qatar. “And as a team, they didn’t manage to let the sparks fly so that people would support them unconditionally and cheer them on.” The team didn’t force tournament luck.
8:00 a.m .: Praise for Griezmann
According to his teammates, France international Antoine Griezmann plays a crucial role. “He has become a key player in recent years. He fights for the team, no matter what position he plays in,” said defender Jules Koundé ahead of the semi-final against Morocco. “He gives 100 percent, he runs and pushes the entire 90 minutes. He shapes the game and is very important for us.”
The 31-year-old Griezmann from Atlético Madrid is playing a strong tournament. He may not have scored yet, putting him in the shadow of team-mates Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud, but he has three assists, most recently convincing in a 2-1 win over England in the quarter-finals.
