Three things England must do to beat Croatia

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SAMARA, RUSSIA – JULY 07: Sebastian Larsson of Sweden is challenged by Jordan Henderson of England during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Quarter Final match between Sweden and England at Samara Arena on July 7, 2018 in Samara, Russia. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) /

More support for Jordan Henderson

The only concern with Jesse Lingard and Dele Alli partnering Jordan Henderson is that most of the times, he is all by himself in the middle of the park. Now, that’s not a problem when you’re facing Tunisia, Panama or a James Rodriguez-deprived Colombia, but it is a big, big problem when you face a Croatian side with Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric.

This is a game that will be won in the midfield. If Henderson isn’t offered enough support from either Alli or Lingard, then that would hurt England in a way that costs them the match.

So does Southgate actually assign one of his attacking midfielders a different role, or does he make a change to the line-up? The latter is a much better option. By bringing in Eric Dier or Fabian Delph, England would have a more stabilised midfield, and a better chance to stop Croatia’s main threat.

It may not sound too wise to deviate from a first choice XI this late in the tournament, but it’s not too wise to play a one-man midfield either.