| A Kenny Miller equaliser after half-an-hour earned a creditable share of the spoils against a side who qualified for this summer’s European Championships via a stunning win over England at Wembley.
And the combination of his knowledge of the opposition’s quality, the call-offs that dogged his own preparations and the attitude shown by his makeshift side left Burley smiling.
“Croatia are what I consider a top-class side and it was a hard game for us. I thought we did well, though, and to come back and draw from being a goal behind was encouraging.”
Commitment was a key word for the manager as he reflected on the way his players battled from the loss of an early Nico Kranjcar strike.
“It was a feature when Alex McLeish and Walter Smith were in charge, and I think you saw that same level of commitment from the players,” added Burley.
“There were areas where I felt Croatia were stronger, but, when it came to being committed, we could not be faulted. There are things we have to work on and there will always be areas where we can improve, but I was pleased.”
Croatian coach Slaven Bilic, meanwhile, told the Scots they should fear no-one when their World Cup qualifying campaign gets under way in September.
“Your best player is your squad. You had many players unavailable for this match, but others came in and did a good job,” said the former Everton and West Ham defender.
“That did not surprise me, because all your players are playing at a high level and know how to play. That is why I took this game — I could have gone for an easy one, but I want to be tested.
“That was the important thing for me, but, for Scotland, you know you can go anywhere and do well. You have just had a difficult European group, but, until the last minute of it, you were so close to qualifying.
“Now you have Holland in the World Cup and that will be difficult, but you should not fear them or anyone.” |
