Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic felt he had no choice but to sub off Rangers ace Borna Barisic at half-time during Wednesday’s shock 1-0 defeat to Slovenia in World Cup qualifying, as he told 24Sata.
The newly-crowned Scottish Premiership champion might have established himself as his country’s first-choice left-back heading into the Euros, but it is fair to say Barisic is yet to replicate his stellar club form on the international stage.
And the former Osijek flyer endured a difficult evening in Ljubljana as Croatia went down 1-0 to an early Sandi Lovric strike.
Barisic was nowhere to be seen in the second half, with Dalic hooking the Ibrox star following his 24th-minute caution.
“Borna Barisic received a yellow card at the start of the match, then he made another foul and was at risk of being sent off,” explained Dalic, who led Croatia to the final of the 2018 World Cup.
Barisic’s removal meant Ivan Perisic drifted to the left-hand side, with substitute Mislav Orsic – yes, him Tottenham fans – coming on to play through the middle.
“I was looking for more thrust on the wing. So, after the break, I had to move Ivan Perisic to left-back and put Mislav Orsic forward.”
With 26 assists to his name since the start of last season, Barisic is still likely to start for Croatia when the European Championships get underway this summer.
Interestingly, the 28-year-old could come up against Rangers teammates Ryan Jack and Jon McLaughlin in June’s group stage clash.
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