Kevin Whitcher
Thursday 12th July 7am
So in the end it was heroic failure for England. Talk of the final proved optimistic, although in the first half of last night’s semi-final, it looked highly possible. Ultimately, England had an easy run to the last four, and Croatia were the best side they faced (if we discount the B-side final group match against Belgium’s shadow team). Had they drawn against Belgium in that game, they might have beaten Japan but surely made their exit against Brazil in the quarter finals.
What they did though provide was a great deal of feelgood factor for the nation. This period will be remembered for the Mediterranean weather, the excitement about the World Cup and the phenomenon for showering fellow fans at big screenings with beer from plastic glasses. Fortunately, I avoided getting sticky by watching England’s games on television either at Ivan Merc’s summer house (v Tunisia) or from the sofa back home (the rest). Actually the euphoria was better than Italia 90’s run to the last four because it lasted longer. 28 years ago it wasn’t until the last minute winner v Belgium in the last 16 game that things really took off. But of course, that was a tournament that actually altered the perception of football generally in the nation so, in conjunction with the post-Hillsborough Taylor Report, changed the game as we know it.
Still, it’s been quite a turnaround from recent times. The poor displays at Brazil 2014 and the last Euros were followed by the appointment of Sam Allardyce, who lasted one game. The subsequent decision to put Gareth Southgate into the job seemed underwhelming at the time, and of course in the buildup to these finals, there were more brickbats than bouquets, such as the players being booed or suffering an avalanche of paper aeroplanes during or after particular matches. However, Southgate was developing a style for his players to utilise, and in these finals, there were times when they played some attractive football, untypical of England at major finals for many a year.
Such was the case in the first half against Croatia. And it was in those 45 minutes England should have killed the game. It was the same story in the opening match against Tunisia. Trippier’s fantastic free kick set things up nicely after five minutes. But the key moment was Harry Kane’s chance and follow-up. The attempt was flagged offside, although one suspects VAR would have meant the goal stood. Jesse Lingard had a clear sight of goal subsequently and could have walloped it in.
Croatia got to grips with their opponents in the second half and had the best of the remainder of the game. Their equalizer might have been ruled out for dangerous play, but that would have been a huge call and Kyle Walker’s head was very low. Scorer Perisic hit the post later as the Croats took control. Kane had an injury time free header which would have won the game, but after the first half interval, England looked like the England of old. The fluency disappeared and there were too many misplaced passes. The players reverted to type with Pickford forced into long kicks which generally ended up with Croatia regaining possession. It wasn’t pretty, and France would certainly have worked out their tactics for a final against Southgate’s team. If you press the defenders tightly enough, you will get the ball back. England needed to get lucky with a long punt reaching either Raheem Sterling or his replacement Marcus Rashford, but this percentage tactic didn’t come off. A confident, energized link man in the middle of the park was absent and the team were unable to build any kind of momentum, just winning the occasional set piece. Harry Maguire’s header wide from a corner was the only other chance of note I can recall.
So it was down to extra time, and Croatia were the more dangerous, in spite of a belief that the longer the game went on, the more they would suffer fatigue. Mandzukic almost scored before the extra time interval, with Pickford making a fantastic save, although one he couldn’t replicate a few minutes later when the same striker had another chance. England were a spent force, physically and mentally. They never really looked like scoring, although a corner led to a John Stones header that was cleared off the line. But ultimately, Croatia were more street smart.
At the end, rather than scuttling off, the players stayed out and shared the pain with the marvelous support that had paid a lot of money to be out in Russia. It symbolized the bond that has grown thanks to Southgate’s decision to get the media on board as much as possible. I think there is a realization that Southgate has a long term plan that involves transforming the way the national team play, and that this is a young team that can evolve. It does need to improve in certain areas, there is no question about that. The fact that most of their goals came from set pieces indicates good preparation, but also belies a lack of creativity in open play. Henderson, Lingard and Dele Alli are all decent players, but England seem to lack a Modric-type player who can dictate a match from the midfield. Granted, such figures are not always easy to find. Have we ever really had one since Paul Gascoigne? Certainly, tournaments can be won without one, and if England had managed to get to the end of extra time level, they might have progressed on penalties.
Croatia reach the final having failed to win a game in 90 minutes against Denmark, Russia and England. France will be red hot favorites for Sunday’s game and it is difficult to imagine their opponents will have enough in the tank to keep them at bay for two hours. France have progressed to the final after an unremarkable group stage, by beating Argentina, Uruguay and Belgium. Compare that with Denmark, Russia and England (all needing at least 120 minutes). The French have not required any extra time in their three knockout matches and I am anticipating a one-sided final similar to their first World Cup final win in 1998. Add in a day’s extra rest and if I were a gambling man, I’d be very tempted to put a large amount on a French victory in 90 minutes. The Tottenham captain could be lifting a trophy, who’d have thought it?
The France v Belgium semi-final was basically a tale of defences on top. Creativity was by and large foiled by solid defending, a set-piece giving the French the advantage. If Belgium played a little more football on the day, it was as a consequence of the French taking the lead shortly after the interval. It tells you a lot that, in their last two matches, the decisive goals have been scored by centre backs from set pieces.
England travel to St Petersburg for Saturday’s 3rd place match, which will probably echo the group game between the two sides in terms of selection. Harry Kane will most likely be on the bench, as it looks like there is very little in the tank. He is two goals clear of Romelu Lukaku for the Golden Boot, and three clear of Griezmann and M’Bappe. He might come on for half an hour if Lukaku scores, but the more likely scenario is that all the guys who have spent the majority of the tournament on the bench will get a runout, for both sides. Step forward Danny Welbeck.
On that note, the big winners back in England from this tournament have been Arsenal. Their key men who were out in Russia have returned home earlier than expected, and most of the squad were not even there in the first place. You’d have to imagine that Tottenham will suffer in their first season at their new home due to fatigue if nothing else, with the amount of English and Belgian players who will not return to duty until the midweek before the Premier League kicks off.
I’ll wrap up my thoughts on this tournament after Sunday’s final. England gave it a decent shot, and certainly did better than most people hoped, although the draw proved kind to them. They gave us an enjoyable few weeks, and I hope everyone made the most of them, but when you have been watching the national side as long as this old head has, you learn to enjoy the ride, safe in the knowledge it’ll end in tears. This was a rare genuine opportunity of England winning another World Cup in my lifetime (I was two in 1966), but it was not to be. Tournament football is about luck, key moments, occasional brilliance and survival. The honest truth is that in 1990 they had a much better chance, and it still hurts watching the footage of Bobby Robson’s face on the England bench as his players lost that shoot-out to West Germany. Gareth Southgate will at least have another chance, and given the resources available to him from a Premier League stuffed with foreign talent, credit is due to him for extracting as much as he did from his squad. The semi-finals and finals of the next Euros are to be held at Wembley, so let’s see what the next two years bring.
