NATIONS LEAGUE Bright sparks
SPAIN ENGLAND CROATIA P W D L F 4 2 0 2 12 3 1 1 1 4 3 1 1 1 3 A PTS 7 6 4 4 8 4
HOW IT ALL WORKS
REPORTS AT 2pm tomorrow, bright sunshine is forecast at Wembley with just a two per cent chance of precipitation.
The imminent arrival of Croatia at the national stadium may strike fear into the hearts of England fans but one thing is for sure: With the weather set fair, at least Gareth Southgate will not become another Wally With A Brolly.
The enduring image of Steve McClaren stood miserably under his red-and-blue canopy as one of Europe’s relative minnows at the time dumped England out of Euro 2008 has haunted English football for years.
Is this finally a chance to bury a few old ghosts?
“I don’t think that game is something for me as a reference,” said England manager Southgate.
“I hadn’t really thought of it in that way. I think for me it is about our team and now.”
In fairness, he probably had enough on his plate that week.
The Middlesbrough team he had inherited from McClaren were hovering above the Premier League relegation zone, having picked up three points from a possible 24.
Given Southgate’s managerial status these days, he can be forgiven for thinking that November 21, 2007 was a long, long time ago.
He is more interested in the lessons that can be learnt from more recent events.
“We’ve got to make sure that we show how we’re progressing and that we’ve learnt from our recent past, and build on the two performances we had last month,” he said.
Even the 2-1 defeat by Croatia in Russia in the World Cup semi-final in July is now seen within the England hierarchy as ancient history. The team have grown up a lot since then. If that loss was seen as an unfortunate missed opportunity, a repeat tomorrow would be less tolerated.
“We’ve got players who should feel on this stage that it’s their moment to deliver, and show what they can do,” added Southgate.
“I know they’re hugely excited after hearing Croatia beat Spain and realising there’s an opportunity to aim for something again, rather than a game that’s just for pride.
“That’s what we’ve tried to do over the last 18 months. Just focus on this team, how we want to be and how we want to approach things.
“Now we’ve got some players who have played together for a little while and who should have a good understanding of how we want to play. We have a couple missing, which is a shame, but there are others who have shown we’ve got really good competition for places.
“As I say, a really good game to look forward to.”
Leaving aside the prestige of the World Cup, reaching the UEFA KALINIC VRSALJKO LOVREN VIDA JEDVAJ MODRIC BROZOVIC KOVACIC KRAMARIC PERISIC REBIC