Mateo Kovacic traded his Chelsea kit for a Croatian one last night but the results were exactly the same.
Kovacic started for his national side yesterday evening as they lost their opening World Cup qualifying match 1-0 to Slovenia.
Although the general result was disappointing, Chelsea’s midfield maestro was in fine individual form.
According to WhoScored.com, the 26-year-old attempted 73 passes with an accuracy of 95.9%.
He also a completed five dribbles, a game high.
Chuck in a couple of key passes and a pair of tackles, Kovacic’s display was pretty complete.
These are the kind of statistics that Blues fans have learned to love over the past two years.
His levels have remained pretty consistent ever since signed from Real Madrid permanently in 2019 for £40m (BBC Sport).
Forever the definition of cool and composed, Kovacic always adds a touch of class to his team’s midriff.
Never a standout name on the team sheet, the Croatian quietly goes about his work without much fuss.
Elegant in possession and dogged out of it, he has almost everything a midfielder could want in their repertoire. Except goals and assists. In 134 appearances, Kovacic has scored just twice and assisted another seven.
However, he offers so much more than simply being a threat in the opponent’s area.
It may just not be so obvious to see, which is part of Kovacic’s charm.
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