[Saba Sports News] The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) issued an official statement confirming that 57‑year‑old home‑grown manager Slaven Bilić has returned to take charge of the national team, succeeding the decorated former boss Zlatko DalićHNS. Bilić previously managed the Vatreni from 2006 to 2012, overseeing 65 matches with a record of 42 wins, 15 draws and 8 defeats. His best achievement in that spell was reaching the quarter‑finals of Euro 2008, where Croatia lost to Turkey in a penalty shoot‑out and fell short of further progress.
Later, Croatia failed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. At Euro 2012, the side could not escape a daunting group containing Spain, Italy and Ireland, prompting Bilić’s departure. The Croatian team then slipped into a period of instability. It was not until Zlatko Dalić stepped in at a difficult juncture in 2017 that Croatia pulled itself out of the slump and even surpassed its historical peak.
After stepping down from the national‑team job, Bilić embarked on an international coaching journey. He had managerial stints with FC Lokomotiv Moscow, Beşiktaş, West Ham United, Al‑Ittihad, West Bromwich Albion, Beijing Guoan, Watford and Al‑Fayha. According to Croatian media, Bilić will earn a pre‑tax annual salary of only €1 million for this new role, far less than his predecessor Dalić who took home €180,000 before tax per month.
In my view, Bilić’s second appointment marks a pragmatic yet high‑risk rebuilding phase for Croatia in the post‑Dalić era. The core goal is to rely on his domestic prestige to persuade Luka Modrić to stay and complete the generational transition. Nevertheless, he has to cope with the huge psychological fallout after the team’s sharp decline in results and the tough task of reshaping tactical systems.