Croatian media outlet Sportske Novosti had some criticism for Tottenham man Ivan Perisic despite his strong header against Japan on Monday – handing him a 7/10, but accusing him of a lack of ‘depth’ in attacking areas in Qatar.
Perisic, 33, came into the World Cup after making a solid start to life at Tottenham. Clocking up 21 appearances for Spurs already, the 120-time Croatia star has seven assists already – but is yet to score. That changed on Monday.
In what was his 28th game for club and country already, Perisic planted a long-range header into the corner from a Dejan Lovren cross. It came after Celtic’s Daizen Maeda had given Japan the lead. The match went to a shootout.
Croatia booked their place in the quarter-finals, where they will now take on Japan. Sportske Novosti report that Perisic was solid at the back but offered little going forward – other than his goal. They say he finished the close game “tired”.
“He was convincing defensively, while going forward, he had no depth. In the second half, he scored an extremely important goal so that the game did not go into nervousness. In the end, he came out tired, because he did his best.”
Croatian media criticise Tottenham man Perisic despite Japan header
Is Perisic now past his prime? Well seven assists in 21 games for Spurs is decent, it was his first goal for club and country this season. It must also be said, though, that he nabbed two assists for Croatia in the 4-1 win over Canada.
Having clocked up 105 minutes for his country on Monday, it will be interesting to see what state he is in against Brazil on Friday. Given Sportske Novosti report that he is “tired”, it might be that Perisic starts, but comes off the pitch early.
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