International Friendlies

What do you mean by strong? Because Spain's 5th string team would probably be close to a top 10 team in the world and I'd define that as strong.

 

Croatia's got some great players but have been playing awful Scraped through the group stage by the skin of your teeth and lucked out getting Iceland. Sweden and France would've knocked Croatia out and Romania would've been 50/50 on current form.

I think the problem is there's too many like players and the coaching style doesn't fit with the players. Stimac wanted to play bus/counter football when the team is clearly built to operate off Modric and Kovacic controlling play in the middle. Excluding Mandzukic, your 3 best players are Kovacic, Modric and Rakitic (could make an argument for Srna), and they are all best used as central playmakers. Instead Stimac wasn't playing Kovacic, was using Rakitic as a winger and playing Modric as a stopper.

I'd say round of 16 team in a weak group and if they get a south american team in their group alongside the 1st seed (excluding Switzerland), probably get bundled out.

 

4-1-2-1-2 is probably the best fit, especially given Srna's ability to move up the field but the concern is there's no good left back. Unless you put Lovren there (which is a waste of his CB ability) or try and move across Vrsaljko or something, it's tough to operate without width. I guess Rakitic on the right and Krancjar on the left could work with the lone striker instead, so a 4-1-4-1? Possibly 3 at the back and Srna as a right mid with Lovren, Simunic and Corluka as a back 3 and Vukojevic/Badelj pretty much playing as a stopper could work.