FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2018 18 Game of strategies Tactical switch transforms Croatia from zero to hero Reuters | Moscow roatia ruthlessly ex- Wide variety of tactical styles posed England’s limita- Ctions in the second half bring the World Cup to life of the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday as Zlatko Dalic’s Reuters | Moscow thought and schools of football side fought back to secure a fa- and that makes things incredi- mous 2-1 extra-time victory. he wide variety of playing bly exciting. While it is players who win Tstyles employed by the 32 “Yes, we have globalisation matches there can be little doubt teams at the World Cup, plus and the effects of the Cham- that a tactical switch from the the so-called Guardiola effect, pions League, but all these canny Dalic transformed the has helped make the tourna- players have been brought up game. ment in Russia a memorable in their own countries so they Pushing wide players Ante one, according to FIFA’s tech- have a certain mentality about Rebic and Ivan Perisic into more nical study group. them and you still see a variety advanced roles was not the most Former Scotland manager of styles.” complex move but it was one Andy Roxburgh, one of a num- Roxburgh also praised teams that turned the match on its ber of prominent ex-coach- for their flexibility, singling head. Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic scores their second goal es who make up the group, out Belgium’s approach against Gareth Southgate’s England said that individual coun - Brazil when they courageously had made it to the last four by Rebic and Perisic were pushed The early success of the wide- look England who have changed tries still managed to keep threw down the gauntlet with playing a brand of progressive higher and with Luka Modric men in pushing back England’s their ways of punting long balls their own distinctive playing an ultra-attacking lineup and passing football and there was and Ivan Rakitic clearly under wing-backs, also gave the op- upfield but when we pressed styles even though most play- won 2-1. enough of that in the opening 45 instructions portunity to Croatia’s full backs them it turned out that they ha- ers are based with European “What impressed me most minutes, after Kieran Trippier’s to feed them Sime Vrsaljko and Ivan Strinic to ven’t,” Croatia full back Sime clubs. (was) tactical flexibility. In fifth-minute goal, to keep them quickly, get forward more. Vrsaljko said. “In the Champions League the past you might have rig- comfortably on top. Trippier When things clicked for last year, it was basically three id structures,” he said, adding Croatia struggled from the and Young Double Threat Croatia they had the quality of schools of football among the that there was “flexibility from outset. They gifted England a suddenly With Trippier and Young fac- Modric and Rakitic, who finally top teams, three philosophies,” game to game and within the huge amount of space in mid- had their ing a double threat, England’s began to dictate the tempo and Roxburgh told reporters. games.” field and allowed wing-backs hands midfield began to be stretched flow of the game as many had “Here you get this incredible “Just think of the way Bel- Ashley Young and Trippier to full. with Jordan Henderson taking expected they would. variety of styles, of schools of gium played against Brazil - push forward and provide op- on an unmanageable work-load the way they approached that tions. and Jesse Lingard and Dele Alli game and the way (manager) More worryingly for Dalic, the more pre-occupied with helping Roberto Martinez set them up basic qualities of his side simply out the defenders than asking was fantastic.” were not there. The passing questions of Croatia’s back- Meanwhile, the influence was too often inaccurate, line. of Manchester City manager the defence struggled to The momentum of the Pep Guardiola had made itself cope with the pace o f game had changed and felt. Raheem Ster- when Perisic equalised “Clearly Pep Guardiola has ling and there for Croatia in the had an impact on a lot of play- was precious 68th minute it was ers and people and coaches,” little support no real surprise. he said. for Mario England had no He defined the Guardiola Mandzukic in answer — neither style as “having a high-level attack. on the field as their possession game — but not for For a team passing game was the sake of it — very much in a who have been replaced by hasty penetrating style.” consistently clearances and long Whereas only one out of 45 well-organised balls forward nor on corners produced a goal in the and effective throughout the bench as South- Champions League, the ratio this tournament, it was gate was unable to at the World Cup dropped to a strange state of affairs make the switches that one in 30 and the use of the but crucially they were might have changed the video assistant referees (VARs) able to turn it around game. had played a part in this, said and England had no “The general all-round per- Roxburgh. answer. ception was that this is a new- Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne speaks with coach Roberto Martinez as the players grab a drink during the match. What Croatia’s win over England teach us AFP |Moscow brilliance reminiscent of the former England captain. Only Neymar and ario Mandzukic struck an ex- Kevin De Bruyne have rivalled Trip- Mtra-time winner as Croatia de- pier in terms of chances created at the feated England 2-1 on Wednesday to World Cup, and the Tottenham de- Ivan Perisic celebrates advance to the World Cup final for fender produced his champagne mo- agter scoring a goal the first time in the country’s history. ment of a breakout tournament for the Kieran Trippier’s maiden interna- 27-year-old with England’s opening tional goal fired England ahead early goal. Trippier’s curling fifth-minute in Moscow, but Ivan Perisic levelled free-kick was his first international in the second half before Mandzukic goal, a prominent example of the qual- sent Croatia through to a showdown ity of his delivery that has given rise to against France on Sunday. England’s Harry Maguire in action with the “Bury Beckham” moniker, because With a population of just over four Croatia’s Marcelo Brozovic and Andrej he was born in Bury near Manchester. million, Croatia are the smallest na- Kramaric tion to reach the final since Uruguay, Croatia’s turn to break down the winners of the 1950 tournament. champs’ men have played a staggering barriers Here are few things we learned from 90 fewer minutes than their oppo - England coach Gareth Southgate had Croatia’s victory over England: nents in the knockout rounds. Croatia, spoken of his young side “breaking who were beaten in extra-time by down barriers” in Russia after their Extra time hands France further at Seef District too Portugal at Euro 2016, became just biggest World Cup win and first penal- advantage the second team to go to extra-time in ty shootout triumph, but it was Croatia Um al Hassan +973 17728699 With the bonus of any extra day’s three consecutive World Cup games. who forced their way into a relatively Seef District +973 17364999 rest and Croatia having been taken to closed shop as just the 13th different extra-time for the third time in suc- Trippier gives weight to Beckham country to progress to the final in 88 cession, France will be far the fresher comparison years. Spain, the 2010 champions, of the two sides in Sunday’s final. Fol- Former Manchester City reject Ki- were the last first-time finalists in lowing a clinical 1-0 win over Belgium eran Trippier, who grew up idolising what is now the 21st edition of the in Tuesday’s semi-final, Didier Des- David Beckham, conjured up an act of competition.