“Salah is jealous of me”

Defender Diane Lovren, a veteran of the Croatian national team, and the runner-up in the world for four years, is facing the third World Cup in his career in Qatar 2022, without thinking about the final withdrawal of his country.

He is in his second year at Zenit St. Petersburg, arriving from Liverpool, for which he played for seven years and won the Champions League title. There coincided with Mohamed Salah, who will not be in Qatar 2022 after being eliminated in the preliminary round.

Lovren, more than seventy internationals with Croatia, said, “Salah is 100 percent jealous but the same will happen to me. He told me he would support me and I’m sorry he’s not here, with the Croatian flag.”

Croatia will start for the first time in Qatar 2022 next Wednesday, against Morocco.

The Croatian centre-back recalled: “For me, it’s very cool to be in my third World Cup. If someone told me when I was a kid, I wouldn’t believe it. My first match was for Croatia in 2009, against Qatar.” .

“It’s an ideal situation for a coach. He has five good defenders and everyone can play as a starter. We fight, try our best and in the end it’s the coach who decides who plays. We’ve never had such quality. We can be happy,” Lovren insisted.

Croatia participates in the re-coup in its choice. Little by little the juniors are getting into it with the veterans on the team. “I think the youth will give new strength to the team. It’s new energy.”

“And when you join the team, you know what the criteria are. They are clear to everyone. If Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic or Domagoj Vida fail to train, they can too. Keep doing it.”

“We have everything we need; I love the mix of veterans and youngsters. There are so many things that have to come together again, everyone has to be the best they can be. When we believe in ourselves and our team, anything is possible. I thought when I came here I was winning.” I said something similar in 2018 when I lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final with Liverpool and a year later we won it. Anything is possible in football, ”recalls the Zenit St Petersburg player.

Lovren had one of his best experiences in Russia 2018, when Croatia reached the final. “I got to those World Cups after losing the Champions League final with some negativity but full of energy and I want a good result. I still have energy, desire and will, and the advantage is that now I have more experience. It’s good and bad. It’s been four years. I’m very excited.” And I want to prove myself, I will do my best, ”he emphasized.

The heart of the Croatian defense refuses that Qatar means goodbye to the national team. “I will continue while the press doubts me. It already says I’m not at the highest level. They know everything. It doesn’t matter how many times they pull me. It motivates me more,” he said.