England Destroyed Croatia (But They Have a Major Problem)

Now, I don't want to get ahead of myself here, but England? Well played. That was mighty impressive

The near-perfect start to the World Cup that the fans, players and Thomas Tuchel especially

would have wanted. But why was it so impressive? From individual performances to the perfect game

plan and one or two issues they need to fix, here are a few things we learned from England's 4-2

victory over Croatia. Declan Rice searching for Harry Kane. That's how important they are

First off, and in the most English, well, Premier League way possible

set pieces clearly are and will be a big part of England's toolbox

Now, if you've looked at any social media since the game, you'll be well aware that most people are drawing the direct comparison from England

to Arsenal's use of set pieces this season. And yep, it makes just as much sense for them as it does for England

In Declan Rice, Tuchel's side have one of the best corner and free kick takers at the tournament

The boss knows it, Arteta knows it, so why wouldn't you use it at every opportunity to fill the box and plan for them as much as you can

That's not to forget Saka's corner kick-taking abilities too, by the way. Rice's assist for Kane's header wasn't the most complicated of the teams

He aimed for the penalty spot and Kane's header was perfectly timed, but if it could be that simple, why don't you have it ready to go at a moment's notice

I think the important distinction to draw between the two though, is that at times this season, Arsenal seem to be only having set pieces in the locker

as a way of breaking down the opposition, whereas England showcase much more than that over the course of the 90 minutes versus Croatia

But aside from corners and free kicks, penalties count as a set piece too

And say what you want about Kane missing the first time around, it's a great save and which striker hasn't missed a penalty

But for the most part, England have got one of the most lethal penalty takers in world football

His retaken spot kick actually saw him break the record for the most penalties scored of the World Cup with five

And his miss, I've only just found out, doesn't even count on the record books as it was retaken

Still, the use of set pieces will no doubt be a contributing factor to England's progression as the tournament goes on

But first and foremost the performance in open play was a sight to behold especially in the second half And it was down to a few different factors

But before we get to that, though, it wasn't all positive. In fact, conceding two goals in the Manor England did was downright sloppy

And I think it's down to lapses in concentration. If you look at the attacking threat chart here from Opta, you'll see that Croatia scored during the first few moments of pressure each time

The second England's back line was tested, there was panic and goals were conceded

I'm not glossing over the fact that the first was a sensational strike from Baturina

but the fact that England actually looked okay when they lost possession is what makes it worse

Look at this screenshot. When Croatia win the ball, Declan Rice's goal side of his man

Should he be in the left-back position? Probably not, but Nico O'Reilly has stepped into midfield, so that's fine

He then, however, leaves his man to cover the central position. Doing two jobs at once isn't ideal

which then brings us to this situation just a few moments later

A free man on the outside with a fairly simple ball to find him. As the Croatians advance into the box

the immediate response is to get right back into the thick of their defensive action but this leaves Baturina free on the edge of the box

and just 10 seconds after losing possession, Croatia are back in the game

Conceding after long periods of sustained pressure is one thing but being so susceptible to conceding without making the opposition work for it

is rather disappointing. As for the second goal, England again have allowed a very good goal scoring opportunity

within the blink of an eye from a fairly comfortable position. The ball is 40 yards from goal here, no real danger

yet one run from Perisic inside Rhys James, which he follows too late

and the panic sets in as everyone is drawn to the ball, and the space is left for the knockdown to Moussa

Now, does it leave a question about those in the back line? I don't think so. Not yet, anyways

If England's progression through the group has almost already been assured due to the victory, and with weak opponents coming up in the group stage, the back four have time to get it right

If this is Tuchel chosen defensive line although I think Gehie can count himself hard done by But back to the good stuff and we have a fairly obvious statement to make when it comes to the reason why England are so good in attack And the captain is unfazed

And that is because Harry Kane's pretty good at football, isn't he? I know, I've gone on about it a lot, including in recent videos

but it's not just that. The players around him are very much aware of their role and what it means to the entire side going forward

When Kane drops deep into the midfield to pick up the ball, England posed a real threat

by stretching the pitch vertically, giving defenders problems to deal with and allowing Kane the space in which to work

He's not holding up the ball for layoffs, he's keeping it to play forwards. Evidence with his two key passes, three attempted long balls and six passes into the final third

Oh, and this along with his seven shots and two goals, of course, gave him a deserved man of the match award

Look at this moment, for example. Kane receives the ball in his own half from Pickford

turns, looks up and has three English players ahead of him. It's a great ball to Madueke, who, when attacking the box

now has a central player to aim for in Bellingham and a wide player too in Anthony Gordon

It's no wonder when you look at the pass map that you find Kane, number nine here, with Gordon and Madueke's average position way ahead of him

It's not just the Kane thing though. Anytime a player drops deep to pick up the ball, a vertical pass is on beyond the lines

Jude Bellingham's goal was a perfect example of this, where Elliot Anderson's ball around the corner found Bellingham pushing beyond the back line

and firing into the bottom. corner. By having Maduweki and Gordon pushing higher, England's game plan worked exceptionally

well, especially down the right-hand side with a brilliant first-half performance from Maduweki

But if you're thinking this reliance on Kane to be the conductor leaves England a little bit one-dimensional, I'd disagree. Not only because it makes sense to build around your best player

but actually because England prove that they have more than a few tricks up their sleeve

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All you have to do is click the link in the description to find out more. these tricks and the final learning i've taken from the game come in the form of the substitutes

because the squad depth is looking pretty good did anthony gordon have the best game no not at all

so no problem bring on marcus rashford slightly less of a threat in behind but more of a danger

when running with the ball and with the knack of finding the back of the net with real composure

his cameo off the bench is exactly the sort of thing that will please thomas tuchel he doesn't

start, he comes on and he seals the game. In a busy tournament with a wide variety of problems to solve

in the face of so many differing styles of opponent, having multiple keys to turn the lock is so

important. Not only him, but Saka, Rodgers, even Jed Spence off the bench, they're all good options

There's also a case to be made that should England beat Ghana, and I've talked them up enough now so

they bloody well better do, that these players can play a slightly less intense fixture versus Panama

and give a few of themselves a rest before heading into the round of 32

Do England have the best squad in the tournament? No, I think that distinction absolutely belongs to France

We saw that in their second half performance versus Senegal. But for now, England have to worry only about themselves

It's a good start to what will be a long old slog if they're to win their first World Cup in 60 years

But as for the first 90-ish minutes, the signs are positive and there's reason to believe that a deeper tournament run could be on the cards

oh and last thing actually although there are a couple of new faces in the squad since the last

tournaments yesterday's barrage of attacking football really did go to show that sir gareth

southgate may have had this team of attacking talented positive players playing with a bit too

much restraint a bit too much pragmatism and negativity but hey that's in the past unleash the

boys tommy