Chris Burton believes that Slaven Bilic is working minor miracles with his Croatia side.
Chris Burton believes that Slaven Bilic is working minor miracles with his Croatia side.
If there is a manager who encompasses what their side is all about more than Slaven Bilic, then I have not seen him.
A man who looks more like an ageing rock star than a master tactician has just led his unfashionable outfit into the last eight of a major international tournament, with maximum points.
An uncompromising defender for West Ham and Everton, among others, in his day, Bilic has taken to life in management like the proverbial duck to water.
Having breezed through qualifying, disposing of hapless England on the way, Austria, Germany and now Poland have all felt the full force of a well-oiled Croatian machine which has its sat nav set for Vienna on 29th June.
It's refreshing to see a side take so much enjoyment out of what they are threatening to achieve.
The players play with a smile on their face, while their manager appears to verge on the edge of a nervous breakdown on the sidelines, kicking every ball and winning every tackle.
A group of players bereft of any truly world-class stars, although I'm sure Luka Modric will hope to change that in the future, have gelled together in a manner which breaks all rational convention.
They really should not be this good, they fielded their reserves against the Poles - and still managed to win.
Seamless
Much-fancied Portugal did that 24 hours earlier and were comprehensively outplayed by a Switzerland side already destined to fall at the first hurdle.
Quite how far Croatia can go remains to be seen, but having secured top spot in Group B they will fancy their chances in a quarter-final contest with a Turkey side which scraped into the last eight.
Bilic will undoubtedly ring the changes for that contest, the likes of Modric, Kranjcar, Olic and the Kovacs ready to slot seamlessly back into a side riding on the crest of a wave.
Portsmouth's Niko Kranjcar did get a late run out as a substitute on Monday, but had little time to affect proceedings and will be pleased to have escaped unscathed with bigger tests to come in the coming weeks.
The other British-based Croatian to feature against the Poles was Manchester City defender Vedran Corluka.
Starting the game on the bench he was called upon after just 26 minutes following an injury to Dario Knezevic.
Rarely tested, but for a late flurry of Polish attacks which had come much too late, he looked comfortable and would appear to be a certainty to feature against Turkey.
Poland's Southampton striker Marek Saganowski was one of two familiar faces in Leo Beenhakker's side, but found the going tough and was replaced with just over 20 minutes remaining.
Credentials
The other, and the one Pole to leave this tournament with his reputation enhanced, was Celtic's Artur Boruc.
Ask your stereotypical man in the street who the best keeper in the world is and you are likely to receive a list of the usual suspects: Iker Casillas, Petr Cech, Gianluigi Buffon.
Far be it for me to argue with the credentials of that trio, but if Boruc played in a major European league then you have to believe that he would be held in higher regard.
He may get the chance this summer if rumours of interest from Italian giants Milan prove to be correct, although the Hoops will be desperate to keep him in Scotland.
A reassuring presence for those in front of him Boruc has an air of Peter Schmeichel about him.
He may not rant and rave in the same manner as the former Manchester United ace, but his star jump technique of closing down opposition attackers is definitely reminiscent of the legendary Dane.
While interest in Boruc is likely to have increased over the course of Poland's short-lived time at Euro 2008, Croatia supporters must be growing increasingly concerned as to where the future of their talismanic manager may lie.
Bilic may not be as suave as Jose Mourinho or as sophisticated as Arsene Wenger, but his star is most definitely on the rise and a return to the Premier League seemingly beckons for a man who has brought the fun-factor back to football management.
