John isn't gonna read the whole article. As he said just now, the number of stats is too damn high. But before John starts, allow him to share some things he stumbled upon.
John doesn't know what's going on. But allow John L'Otter to use two images of Chinese generals, one for Croatia and one for England. All in the name of fun, ofc. But before that, let John do one for Manodonna himself.
Croatia (as portrayed via a specific Three Kingdoms era general)
Going by historical text, Zhang He was one smart guy. In fact, one could say he's a master of terrain warfare. Apart from Deng Ai, it seemed that no one in the Wei faction could come close.
This is Croatia. Period. Like Zhang Junyi, this is a team priding itself on two things: Organisation and creativity. The former is the foundation of the latter. So how does the two work hand in hand? Two players make it possible: Ivan "the Great" Rakitić and Luka "the Force is still strong in him" Modrić. To understand how these two BFFs compliment each other, one must understand what makes Croatia tick as a team.
If there's one thing the Croats can do which the English can't, it'd be operating in a 4-2-3-1. For some dumb reason, England can't do a 4-2-3-1 to save its sorry arse. The opposite is true for Croatia. This is a nation which can whoop any nation's arse with 4-2-3-1. Apart from Russia, that is.
Against Russia, Zlatko "he's no Mr Socko" Dalić opted to emulate Le Professeur X. Remember the Modrić-Kroos partnership? That's most likely what inspired Mr Zlatko to pull off a Modrić-Rakitić combination. In a bid to pin back the Russians (and hopefully making them lose the ball), he started with Andrej "not Karpathy" Kramarić in the hole 9. Which effectively meant Croatia was opening up massive space between the attacking 4 and the defensive-holding four by two.
So will Mr Zlatko pull this off again? John truly doubts so. Against England, Croatia must make sure the ball bypasses the five-man midfield. Otherwise, they can't score, England would have a great chance to bring it home, and Emilia "404 Jon and Daario not found" Clarke may end up bringing a guy home to meet her mother. To understand Croatia, the equation is very simple: See who plays in the hole+where Modrić is deployed=the correct answer.
Modrić's positioning is vital to Croatia's cause. Quite obviously, Mr Zlatko would never be so stupid to play his greatest asset near Mario "Croatia's Super Mario" Mandžukić. That'd be binning Modrić's greatest strength. Namely, a superior passing game anywhere between the defensive line and offensive line. Not to mention renaming himself as Socko Dalić. Going by John's estimation, Modrić would most likely be deployed in the hole 9, which wouldn't be surprising. After all, that's what Mr Zlatko did apart from the Russia match.
Additional note:
Will Ante "he ups the ante in a certain way" Rebić start? If so, will he increase the offensive ante? If he's to go one on one against Ashley "not Luke" Young, you can't fault Gary "not Phil" Neville and Jamie "unrelated to Harry" Carragher agreeing with each other for the first time history. Rebić is young, Rebić is energetic, Rebić is big, strong, and fast. This is not some Magic Mike ad. This is really what Rebić is as a footballer. If you think he's a striker, you're wrong. He's a winger. Plain and simple. But not for a Young who is no longer young. Rebić's job may well be harassing Young once he got the ball. The moment Young loses it, the Great Wall of England will be broken. And England will be visiting Loch Ness Lake instead of Loot Lake. Just don't ask John whether the Khaleesi will find her long-elusive love despite whatever catastrophe caused by a young Rebić.
At the same time, we have to talk about doing the set piece. Any assumption that this is something only the English is good at should be debunked, rubbished, and incinerated on the spot. As the most creative player in Mr Zlatko's lineup, Modrić is able to pass it like Xavi and cross it like Beckham. In fact, John wouldn't be surprised if he's going to drift sideways in order to pass the ball forward. If he does that, England is in trouble. Not that a certain Swede will renege on his promise to have some fish and chips complete with salt and vinegar. So here's John's advice to Le Usurpateur:
Hopefully, the man who retired the whole of Denmark won't get a fur coat out of John.
England (as portrayed via a specific Three Kingdoms era general)
Only 1 hr left. John has to make it fast. If Zhang He was known for the brains, then Xiahou Yuan was known for effective organisation and coordination. After all, how fast your units can travel depends a lot on these two traits. As a result, this also meant Xiahou Miaocai was a master of lightning-fast raids. And this is what England is good at.
For years, the English were ridiculed as jocks (not the Scottish ones fyi). They have physique, pace, and power. They even got the best domestic league in the world! However, they're not exactly the smartest people in the world of international football. And John isn't referring to the fans, be they from Millwall, West Ham, or anywhere else. Liu Bei's favourite strategist Fa Zheng said before that Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He weren't the best generals in Cao Cao's faction. Junyi lacked the composure when in dire circumstances (imagine Croatia struggling once England managed to cut off Modrić's passes at the middle 3rd, but 10 times worse). Zhang Fei exposed and exploited it. As for Miaocai, he's definitely fast enough, but not intellectually fast enough. That's what got him killed at Mount Dingjun. He was too dumb to realise Liu Bei (at Huang Quan's advice) was baiting him to the death row. As the result, Huang Quan's plan together with Fa Zheng's ability to deploy, redeploy, and plan five steps ahead in any situation did him in.
This is not about how smart Fa Zheng was or how dumb the English are (after all, Emma "not Louise Jones" Watson is an intelligent lady). This about England retaining what works for the nation all the while. However, Beaumains Southgate managed to add in that one ingredient completing what John would call the one and only fish and chips football. No, it's not the salt or vinegar. It's the brains. Although to be brutally honest, the English still can't do a 4-2-3-1 even it's to save their sorry arses.
Call it 3-5-2, 3-1-4-2, or even a 3-4-3. The approach is the same. If Beaumains Southgate wants to win it for self and country (c'mon, winning the World Cup is the same as winning Wimbledon Open when it comes to personal accomplishments), he has to make sure the Great Wall of England doesn't get broken. In fact, he must make sure it's way better than the Great Wall of China (where it's partially broken) and the equally (?) great Berlin Wall (where it's officially totally broken like the walls of Jerusalem during 70 AD). No cracks must be found. Otherwise, Croatia will come at England with the full force of Modrić's Force. And it won't be like this below.
Additional details:
Kieran "currently tripping his detractors" Trippier may be tripping critics, cynics, and sceptics alike right now. But if Croatia turns on the force, he will be the one being tripped. And once that happens, you can be very sure England will risk a 90-minute power trip where every anguished fan is better off on an acid trip. And to prevent the worst acid trip in the history of England, Beaumains Southgate needs to make a damning decision.
There's a problem with the analysis done by whoever in the Sky. And that is the failure to address Jordan "unrelated to Henderson Primary School" Henderson. Yes, he's currently having a ball of his time. No one wants to be Cinderella when the clock strikes 12. Let alone Henderson. But if there must be a place for Eric "Dire Dier" Dier, Henderson has to go. Not from the team but to the bench. The reason is very simple: Like Henderson, Dier is a player capable (and comfortable) in anchoring the ball. However, Dier has two things in his favour: Athleticism and the ability to pass it or cross it. Remember, this lad used to be a specialised right-back before an Argentine ten times smarter than Manodonna managed to reinvent him into a defensive mid. In other words, Dier can play in two positions. But that's only a fyi note.
If Beaumains Southgate wants to win it, he needs to play a direct offensive. Can Henderson give him that? Or will it be Dire Dier proving himself to be dire against Croatia instead of for Croatia? After all, Belgium wasn't the best moment of his life. The only catch? Belgium tends to push forward more than Croatia.
P.S: Before John ends this post...
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