AMBUSH MAESTROS FOR FINAL SAY

THE key to England winning the midfield battle tonight is to ambush Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic early. They cannot afford to give these midfield maestros and inch. Give Modric any space and he will slalom through midfield at will. England must do everything they can to disrupt their flow. They need to press quickly and force them to play square or backwards, but it won’t be easy. Modric is a master of deception. As soon as you think you’ve got him, he’ll quickly shift direction. When one England midfielder goes to engage him, another has to get behind him to completely suffocate him.