Stand-in finds spotlight
In 2007, he was signed by Dinamo Zagreb to fill in for the Arsenal-bound Eduardo. In 2010, he was bought by Wolfsburg as the long-term replacement for Edin Dzeko.
And, in 2012, the big question is whether he can finally step up on the biggest stage and make his name in his own right. Should he do so, it might even see Croatia replace the favourites Italy or Spain in the top two of Ireland’s Euro 2012 group.
To give Mandzukic his due though, that would only be following the trend of his career. The technical, tenacious forward clearly isn’t cowed by the questions.
In 2007-08, for example, he immediately followed Eduardo’s lead by firing Dinamo to successive league titles and finishing with a ratio of a goal every two games.
Even more impressively, he hasn’t just stepped out of Dzeko’s shadow since the Bosnian moved to Manchester City; Mandzukic has began to dominate the spotlight. So far this season, he has proved himself one of the most consistent and productive players in the Bundesliga.
His return of 12 goals and five assists in 27 games — which is superior to the likes of Raul — has driven Wolfsburg right back into contention for the European places.
Such efforts have come as part of an increasingly complementary partnership with Patrick Helmes. Playing as the more withdrawn forward, Mandzukic has been given the space by manager Felix Magath to maximise his full range of talents. And it could even be argued that, to a certain degree, he has the lot.
Mandzukic is exceptionally quick and selflessly industrious but also combines those physical qualities with a significant amount of finesse. His touch and general creativity are superb, with the forward often devastating in possession. Indeed, it says much that he is currently one of the most fouled players in the Bundesliga. Although, Mandzukic counters that with a bit of aggression of his own. His hounding of opposing defenders was crucial in Croatia’s early evisceration of Turkey in the play-offs.
Indeed, that performance illustrated another positive about Mandzukic, and one which may prove telling for Ireland and the summer: he is developing a real appetite for big games, even heading home the tie-sealing strike against Turkey.
But that goal also leads to another question: why is there such a disparity between Mandzukic’s goalscoring for his clubs and that for his country? In his day job, he has a return of about one in two. For Croatia, it’s a paltry five in 25.
There are two major explanations.
First, his finishing is probably the one major flaw in his game. Despite composure everywhere else on the pitch, Mandzukic can often look hurried in the box. And that is further revealed in the stats. According to Opta, his conversation rate of 18% is the lowest of all Bundesliga players with more than 10 goals this season.
Second, it’s not like he gets that many opportunities to waste for Croatia. For many of his 26 caps, he has played on one of the flanks of a 4-2-3-1. And, although Mandzukic’s workrate makes him effective on the wing, it does seem a bit of a waste of his talents. Indeed, it was only late on in the qualifying campaign that Slaven Bilic seemed to have something of an epiphany.
By placing Mandzukic just in front of the conducting Luka Modric and just behind a foraging striker such as Eduardo or Nikica Jelavic, he immediately improved the fluency of Croatia’s game. Indeed, it could even be said they recaptured some of the sleek football that made them favourites for Euro 2008.
All of which, of course, is bad news for Ireland. As we’ve said here before, technical forwards who are capable of maximum output in minimum space between the lines are exactly what Giovanni Trapattoni’s rigid defensive structure struggles with. And Mandzukic is starting to define the type.
