Barisic hopes Light Blues can give him national lift
He is up against multi-capped rivals from AC Milan and Dynamo Kiev.
But Borna Barisic reckons Rangers can help him become Croatia’s first-choice left-back. He played the full 90 minutes of the Croats’ friendly draw with Portugal earlier this month. He then watched from the bench as Spain stuffed the World Cup finalists 6-0 in the UEFA Nations League. With AC Milan’s Ivan Strinic out of action with a heart complaint, Dynamo’s Josip Pivaric endured a rotten night against the Spaniards. Now the 25-year-old wants to get the nod the next time his country take the field. “I enjoyed being with the national team – just not the last game,” Barisic admitted. “I played the whole of the first game against Portugal. It finished 1-1, and everything was fine. “But 6-0 in the second game against Spain was not good. “For the first 20 minutes, we played good – but then I don’t know what happened. “We go individual, not like a team, and it’s 6-0 at the end. “It was the worst result in the history of Croatian football. That’s not good. “It is a challenge for the team to keep playing like in the World Cup. “Of course, everyone in Croatia wants to come to the international team to play with people like Luka Modric. “We were second in the world. That is the challenge for everyone. “Rangers have already given me a platform to become Croatia’s left-back. “I played a good game against Portugal, so we will see. The coach will choose who will play, but I am ready.” Having been named in Croatia’s 32-man pre-World Cup squad, Barisic missed the cut as his countrymen surged to the Final in Russia. But despite their summer heroics, the man signed from Osijek revealed all his national team-mates wanted to know about upon on his return to the squad was his move to Ibrox “Everyone was asking about Rangers when I was with the national team,” he said. “They ask how is the city? How is the club? And everybody is asking: ‘What did Steven Gerrard say?’
“Of course, they know how big Rangers are. They know everything.” So word will have got back home about his part in Thursday night’s draw in Villareal. Barisic knew little about Scottish football when he signed up at Rangers. He is learning quickly, but knows there is still room for improvement. “It is different in Scotland from Croatia,” said Barisic. “There is much more aggression, speed and things like that here. “It’s not as technical as the football is back home. The pitches are also faster. “I’m trying to learn as much as possible. “Everyone told me that when I came to Scotland, I would see different football, so I expected it. “I need to adapt as quickly as possible. But I like that.”