Marcus Rashford's wastefulness means England get a C in 0-0 draw with Croatia

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  • In a repeat of the summer’s World Cup semi-final clash, England were only able to come away with a goalless stalemate against Croatia.

    The Nations League match ended in a 0-0 draw draw at the empty stadium in Rijeka on Friday night with Marcus Rashford’s two misses proving costly.

    The Manchester United striker wasted golden chances to take the lead while Eric Dier and Harry Kane also hit the woodwork from set-pieces.

    The result bodes well for group leaders Spain, who beat both last month, to progress to the first ever Nations League semi-finals next summer.

    Here is our report card from the clash.

    30 SECOND-REPORT

    With Croatia completing the second of a two-game UEFA sanction to play behind closed doors, the stadium in Rijeka was deserted and in hindsight, it was probably for the best.

    Both sides were solid and set up not to make mistakes rather than take the advantage. With the pitch producing plenty of unpredictable bounces as well, the match was not a great spectacle.

    England will take encouragement from the fact that they were compact and hardly put a foot wrong at the back but their build-up play left a lot to be desired. They pushed further up the pitch in the second-half and generated chances by pressing their opponents and committing more numbers forward but couldn’t apply the finishing touch.

    Meanwhile, Croatia had their moments on the ball but appeared content to bide their time and wait for the opportunity to stride forward rather than forcing the visitors onto the back foot.

    Cagey encounter.

    Cagey encounter.

    THE GOOD

    Set-pieces – England’s prowess from set-pieces was well documented throughout their surprising run to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia and still holds them in good stead. Gareth Southgate has mastered the art of taking full advantage of quality delivery and aerial ability. His side are well drilled in their routines and it showed again. Eric Dier struck the upright in the first half from Jordan Henderson’s corner before Harry Kane’s header from the Liverpool skipper’s free-kick in the second crashed off the crossbar.

    Teamwork – Croatia went on their own fairytale run at the World Cup – all the way to the final – and have teamwork to thank. Against England, they hunted in packs, closing down the man on the ball. The chemistry within the side came to the fore when Ante Rebic instinctively stepped over Josip Pivaric’s cross for Andrej Kramaric to strike or when Ivan Perisic tracked Kyle Walker all the way to the byline to cover for Pivaric who had tucked in.

    England still threaten from set-pieces.

    England still threaten from set-pieces.

    THE BAD

    Disjointed approach – At some point, Southgate has got to get England playing better in possession. That they lack creativity in the middle of the park is no secret but with neither Dele Alli nor Jesse Lingard in action on Friday night, they were completely devoid of it. The Three Lions instead relied on set-pieces, counter-attacks and turnovers for their opportunities. The ability to fashion chances through intelligent build-up play is one they continue to lack.

    Playing it safe – Given their inferior goal difference in League A Group 4, Croatia needed a win from this encounter more than England but didn’t show it. They were far too cautious when they should’ve tested England’s defence more which had shifted from their usual back three to a back four. Every time Croatia went forward with purpose, their passing and movement was superior to their opponent’s but didn’t commit to going on the offensive often enough.

    Croatia were cautious.

    Croatia were cautious.

    TACTICAL TURNING POINT

    Formation switches – More of an observation than a turning point but England’s switching between formations had little effect. They set up in a 4-3-3 system and defended in that shape. However, in possession, they did switch to a back three at times early in the first-half with Eric Dier dropping in between the two centre-backs and the full-backs pushing forward. That said, it did not aid England’s build-up play and Southgate seemed to abandon the tactic fairly quickly.

    VERDICTS 

    CROATIA: C-

    A largely solid display but failed to create enough clear-cut chances. Dalic’s side were rather timid during the encounter and didn’t deserve anything more than a draw.

    ENGLAND: C

    Hardly easy on the eye but they had enough chances to win this game. Apart from striking the woodwork twice from set-pieces, Rashford was also guilty of squandering a couple of glorious opportunities.

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