Richard Buxton: Croatia coach Dalic could regret his comments
Croatia coach Dalic's comments on England captain could come back to haunt him
Stopping Harry Kane is supposedly the key to England's downfall.
Every opponent believes that they hold the secret to sussing out the Three Lions captain.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic now claims the solution to taming Gareth Southgate's side ahead of their semi-final showdown is by treating Kane as little more than a poor man's Lionel Messi.
If only it were that simple.
| CROATIA | ENGLAND |
Despite being the World Cup's leading scorer, Kane has earned little praise from neutral fans who don't think much of his haul of six goals, three of which are penalties.
Dalic became the latest to belittle him, claiming that the threat which Messi had failed to pose to Croatia during their win over Argentina last month affords his side an edge in tomorrow morning's (Singapore time) clash with England at the Luzhniki Stadium.
Kane may never find himself elevated to the same pantheon as the Barcelona talisman, but he is on course to soar above him on the international stage, just as he did in outscoring the Argentinian across Europe's top five leagues in 2017.
Players and coaches alike have tried to put a lid on Messi's abilities. Those who succeed in shackling him consider it a badge of honour rather than an indictment of his fading qualities.
Barring one inspired moment against Nigeria, however, he failed to impress in a fruitless and most likely final World Cup campaign.
Kane, meanwhile, has embraced England's decades of shortfall ahead of their biggest game in almost three decades.
Joining the reverence in which the 1966 winners continue to be held represents an embraceable challenge rather than the daunting deterrent of previous years.
The 24-year-old is firmly focused in his mission to bring glory to his country.
Colombia believed they boasted an inside track courtesy of Kane's clubmate Davinson Sanchez, yet were still unable to stop him scoring from the spot in the Round of 16.
Andreas Granqvist was similarly convinced that stopping him was a relative guarantee of success for Sweden - yet doing "everything" to curtail him led to them neglecting England's deadly set-pieces as they crashed out in last Saturday's quarter-final.
Like Granqvist, Dalic may become the latest in a long list to regret underestimating Kane.
No change to England's winning formula
England manager Gareth Southgate is not about to change his team's approach for tomorrow morning's (Singapore time) World Cup semi-final against Croatia, saying he wants the "same again" from his young side.
Although Croatia are the most difficult opponents England will have faced in the tournament, Southgate's words suggest he will continue with his attacking formation and personnel.
Asked what he would be demanding from his players, the England coach told ITV: "To be able to keep doing what we have been doing, play with real defensive discipline, good organisation, tactical awareness. And then with the ball, play with the freedom and expression that we have and the same patterns and movements that we have shown."
While Croatia possess arguably the best central midfield pairing in the tournament in Real Madrid's Luka Modric and Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic, Southgate's language does not indicate he is about to bring in Eric Dier as an additional defensive midfielder alongside Jordan Henderson.
But he is certainly well aware of the threat that Croatia pose in the middle of the park.
"They of course have a very strong midfield so, (it is about) denying them space and making sure awareness of distances and coverage of the pitch is correct and (knowing) the right moments to press," he said.
"The higher the level of opponent, if you press in a disorganised fashion, then you will get picked through, and we have got to be conscious of that."
The contribution of Raheem Sterling remains a polarising debate in England, with the Manchester City player without a goal for his country since October 2015, but Southgate says the forward's contribution in Russia has been essential.
"I think Raheem has been fundamental to the way that we have played - his movement, the positions he takes up, his pressing of the ball, his work-rate for the team, the winning of free-kicks and corners, his speed to stretch teams.
"He was a constant threat to Sweden, of course he hasn't scored the goals he would have liked to have scored but, for myself and the players, he has been crucial." - REUTERS
PREDICTIONS
England to win 2-1
''Both teams have goals in them and it will be a fairly open game. Croatia looked a little vulnerable in the second half against Denmark and then conceded a set-piece against Russia. England have been deadly from set-plays and I think this could be their route to the final.''
- Tampines Rovers defender Daniel Bennett
Croatia to win 2-1
''Croatia have world-class players like Modric, Rakitic and Mandzukic, players who are playing in the top clubs... It will be an attacking game with goals as both teams can't really defend, but it is unlikely to be three shoot-outs in a row for Croatia.''
- Balestier Khalsa coach Marko Kraljevic
England to win on penalties after 1-1 draw
''That's right, I'm picking England to win another penalty shoot-out. It's coming home.''
- One FM & Kiss92 news presenter Catherine Robert
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