Mark Langdon: Croatia's golden generation looking for one last dance

The success of podcasts comes quite often in shows building up a loyal following where in-house jokes are part of the appeal for those devoted listeners that stick around over a long period of time.

Off Menu, the hugely successful podcast by Ed Gamble and James Acaster, thrives on such references.

Acaster is the mash king; Gamble can't stand Yorkshire puddings because of the real estate taken up on a plate and the mere mention from an unsuspecting guest of a cheeseboard instead of a sweet treat for a dessert can often go down a rabbit hole.

A different kind of hole - one that Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas helped create in an attempt to cook a lamb buried in the ground with hilarious consequences - is a story of absolute legend to anyone invested in over 250 episodes .

However, if you don't get the references it sounds banal. And so it is with the Guardian's Football Weekly.

There has been a running joke on the podcast about Croatia's energy levels ever since they beat England after extra-time in the 2018 World Cup as presenter Max Rushden had suggested in the build-up that the Three Lions' opponents might be getting a bit tired following earlier efforts during the tournament.

Surely Luka Modric was getting leggy at 32 etc and so the theme has been set that the question can't even be asked with a serious tone these days on the podcast, with it nearly always the opening gambit to any Croatian conversation in the subsequent six years without the question even being taken remotely seriously.

But Modric is 38, Ivan Perisic 35 and even relative whipper-snappers Andrej Kramaric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic are at least 30 and as Croatia get ready to face Italy in a do-or-die clash we are left pondering just exactly how much is left in the tank.

Is this the last dance for Croatia's golden generation?

If it is to be the case then what a generation it has been, led by the magnificent Modric who could quite easily be enjoying international retirement, laying on a yacht in Ibiza sunning himself ahead of another Champions League crack with Real Madrid; Instead he will be pulling the strings in Leipzig, home of the Red Bull club, aiming to give another majestic midfield performance full of zest that would pay true homage to the energy drink.

Croatia's population of under four million should not be able to produce a squad of players who have been good enough to reach the final of the 2018 World Cup, the semi-finals four years later and also claim a Nations League final spot only last summer.

There's plenty of skill in the squad, but their determination is almost unrivalled.

Time and time again they get through difficult spots, winning two penalty shootouts in 2018 as well as overcoming England in extra-time and it was the same at the last World Cup, even going behind against Brazil in extra-time of the quarter-final and still scoring a late equaliser to take it to a successful shootout.

At the last two Euros they took Portugal and Spain to extra-time before losing and in the 2023 Nations League Croatia beat Netherlands in the semi-finals with Modric scoring in extra-time and it was Spain who beat them, but only on penalties in the final after a goalless 120 minutes

It's obvious this Croatian team is past its best, but those past tournament performances highlight their ability to fight until the very end and there might still be enough in the legs for a final hurrah against Italy.

Not good enough? Maybe. Too tired? Don't bet on that.

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