Still, qualifying for the Euros was achieved without too much trouble, although the team rarely looked entirely convincing.
The squad is as follows: Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic Dinamo Zagreb , Lovre Kalinic Hajduk Split , Simon Sluga Luton Town Defenders: Sime Vrsaljko Atletico Madrid , Domagoj Vida Besiktas , Josip Juranovic Legia Warsaw , Dejan Lovren Zenit St Petersburg , Duje Caleta-Car Olympique Marseille , Borna Barisic Rangers , Mile Skoric Osijek , Josko Gvardiol Dinamo Zagreb , Domagoj Bradaric Lille.
Dalic said he was planning to give Sosa his first call-up for the team's World Cup qualifier against Malta in March but refrained from doing so to make the defender available for Croatia's squad at the Under-21 European Championship, which started the same week.
It remains to be seen whether Gareth Southgate will find the right combination of players to put together.
The Croatians face England, Scotland and the Czech Republic in Euro 2020 Group D and open their campaign against the English at Wembley on June 13.
Croatia may look rather unstable at the moment but, if the jigsaw pieces come together, they could be set for big things again.