Inter midfielder Marcelo Brozovic has come in for some criticism for his performance at the base of midfield in Croatia’s 3-0 loss to Argentina in a World Cup semifinal yesterday.

The 30-year-old Nerazzurri midfielder received a rating of just 5/10 in the player ratings for the match in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera, via FCInteer1908, who particularly noted his failure to control the tempo.

In the opening stages of yesterday’s match, Croatia’s midfield had a tight grip on proceedings, as they have done virtually throughout the tournament.

Brozovic alongside Chelsea’s Matteo Kovacic and Real Madrid’s Luka Modric kept the ball away from the Albiceleste and probed carefully.

However, the Nerazzurri midfielder struggled to speed up the tempo, and on the contrary, it was Argentina who finally unlocked the match in an attacking sense.

Once the match became a little more open, Croatia let control slip away from them, and in the view of the Corriere della Sera, Brozovic was particularly culpable given that he is the player most responsible for dictating the team’s rhythm.