French national team coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed, on Sunday, that he will make “changes” in the lineup to face Belgium, on Monday, at the “Stade de France” stadium in the fourth round of the European Nations League football competition, three days after a 1-1 draw at home with Italy.
Zidane said in a press conference: “There will be changes, that is for sure.” It's our fourth game (in 10 days), and we shouldn't do anything randomly either. In addition, we must benefit from all the players.”
The former French star added: “Everyone is important in this team. This is the message I want to get across to my players. “I want to depend on everyone.”
Zidane had made a wide rotation of the squad, last Monday, in Belgium (1-0 win), 3 days after another victory in Türkiye with the same result.
Before the last match of his first gathering at the head of the technical management of the “Roosters” team, the coach confirmed that he was “satisfied” with the “morale” shown by his players.
He said: “It was wonderful to be with the players for 15 days. I'm feeling a little disappointed that this camp is about to end. There is still one final push required for us to leave this camp happy. “The players worked well, and it would be good to finish it with a win.”
Croatian Luka Modric said that he felt ashamed of his team's performance after losing 7-0 to England in Rijeka yesterday, Saturday, in the heaviest defeat in the history of the Croatian national football team.
Croatia's previous heaviest defeat was a 6-0 loss to Spain in 2018. Modric, the player who participated most with the national team, said that the manner in which the defeat against England came was unacceptable.
He told the local newspaper "Jutarni": "It is difficult to find an explanation for such a performance that lacked tackles, violations, fighting spirit and cohesion... I have been here for 20 years, but for the first time I feel ashamed after a match." You can lose or play against a better opponent than you - and they are (England) at the moment. But in any case, losing in this way and wasting the reputation we have built over the years is unacceptable.”
The 41-year-old player added: “You cannot play football this way.” You can't play without two players, you can't play like this, we looked like we were missing 4 or 5 players. "It was a disastrous night."
Croatia will host Spain in Split next Tuesday. The world champions have an unbeaten record so far in the European Nations League, and Spain won the first match between the two teams 4-1 last Tuesday.
Modric said: “We have to gather our strength and remain united because a new difficult match awaits us. We have to show our true selves, and that we have challenge, pride, desire, readiness, and solidarity, as these are things that cannot be lost overnight.”
Croatia ranks third in Group C of the first level in the European Nations League.
Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, ranked second in the world, bid an early farewell to the Beijing 1,000-point tournament with her exit in the third round after losing to Czech Nikola Bartonkova, ranked 34th in the world, 4-6, 3-6 on Sunday in an hour and 35 minutes.
The 20-year-old Czech player said: “I kept my focus to stay calm. “She is a legend...so I am very happy with this win.”
Bartonkova will face Austrian Senia Kraus, ranked 95th in the world, in an attempt to reach the quarter-finals. Sabalenka had five chances to break her opponent's serve in the sixth game of the first set, but she failed to capitalize on any of them.
Then she unleashed her frustration, after she threw her racket to the ground, after losing her serve in the second set, before surrendering on the first ball to decide the match.
Sabalenka, formerly ranked number one in the world, joined Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina, currently ranked number one, who lost in her first match in the tournament, in the second round, to Armenian Alina Charaeva, ranked 118th in the world (6-3), (4-6), and (3-6), on Saturday.
