England cruise past Croatia 7-0!

James Richardson (0:00)

Live from downtown London, it's The Totally Football Show.

Today, England, sensations, the Croatians, in the Nations League. It was Gordon and Tonic and 7Up and Croatia on the rocks. We talked Bellingham brilliance and reaction to the action in Rijeka plus other Nations League, France, Italy, Norwegian Blues and a very lively Parrott in this Totally Football Show. Hello and thank you so much for joining us on this Saturday evening if you're with us live on YouTube. Oh, there's one mobile phone that is across our live output. Just have that open for the responses.

Adrian Clarke (0:44)

Absolutely.

James Richardson (0:45)

Because people like to send messages in, especially when, sorry, hi, Julien Laurens is here with us. Hello Jimbo. Hello to you. Adrian Clarke has come in as well.

Adrian Clarke (0:56)

Both come all the way in.

Julien Laurens (0:59)

Exactly. Eye contact was better.

James Richardson (1:01)

Yeah, 100%.

I was mentioning anyway, people who are watching on YouTube like to interact with the show. We ask questions, they reply.

Sometimes we ask this time, how many nations actually, we put this out on our YouTube comments, how many nations have a better front four than England? North will rise again, says, the French run them close, but the French don't have a number nine like Harry Kane, Ajaws.

Julien Laurens (1:31)

Yeah, it's true. Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, let me think. I know who I would choose.

Ho, ho, ho.

James Richardson (1:41)

Can Kylian Mbappe play centre half? I don't think so.

Julien Laurens (1:44)

No, he can certainly run.

James Richardson (1:46)

Yeah.

Adrian Clarke (1:48)

He isn't a patch on Harry's team.

James Richardson (1:49)

He isn't a patch on Harry's. Adrian, you must be over the moon with what we just witnessed, England against Croatia.

Adrian Clarke (1:56)

Proud Englishman tonight.

James Richardson (1:57)

I can't think the last time I saw England play that well, tear a team up like that would be that third, fourth playoff in the World Cup against-

Julien Laurens (2:06)

The game that was against the B team beat Swenstein. I think Adrian could play for Croatia tonight, by the way. Probably you even, Jimbo, in goal.

Adrian Clarke (2:13)

You reckon?

Julien Laurens (2:14)

Yeah, maybe not in goal, because we'd like to have a game.

James Richardson (2:16)

I could do a job.

Julien Laurens (2:17)

You could certainly be better than Vuscovic and Vagel, because that was embarrassing.

Adrian Clarke (2:21)

Yeah, England were four up at half-time, were they? Four of us at half-time. Against the French, as well as tonight.

James Richardson (2:26)

It's so true.

Julien Laurens (2:27)

By there, you want to go by there.

James Richardson (2:28)

True.

Julien Laurens (2:28)

Yeah, you were one-nil up against Argentina, or so. I can't remember the end of that.

James Richardson (2:34)

Lots of people getting in touch. Tom Ashmore says, that was, dare I say it, beautiful.

CUFC 247 says, Kane is a once-in-a-generation player like a wine, getting better with age. I'd say England do like playing Croatia, though, don't they? At the start of the World Cup, they had that terrific performance, four-two. We all thought, wow, England are going to be great this workout. What happened next was the goalless draw with Ghana. But that said, tonight was something exceptional. With your very objective eye, Jules, what did you make of it?

Julien Laurens (3:06)

No, I agree. They were fantastic. I liked a lot of the movement they did, some of the runs, being available for whoever was on the ball, who always had two or three options. I thought Scott and Anderson were amazing in that midfield, that double pivot, especially when you play against grandads like Kovacic and Modrič. I can't believe a nation like Croatia still thinks that it's okay to play Modrič and Kovacic in a game like this.

It's unfair. You can't start Scott and Anderson against those two. That's why England were so dominant in the first half. Marisica left back. This is just ridiculous.

James Richardson (3:41)

He's too old for City, huh?

Julien Laurens (3:42)

Yeah, exactly.

However, take nothing away from England still in the performance that they did, in some of the choices that Tuchel made. They were very clinical. It should have been 10 easily, to be fair. 10-1 because Kovacic has to score his chance. But England could easily have scored even more goals.

James Richardson (3:58)

We'll come back to that Kovacic moment. The Man City factor. You wonder, don't you? But Adrian, everything just came together.

Jules mentions the choices. Did it start with Thomas Tuchel's team sheet?

Adrian Clarke (4:10)

It was a good team. I think we looked at it at the start and thought, Kwan's are in for Trent. It feels a little bit harsh on Trent Alexander-Arnold after he played so well the other night, but it worked. I love the midfielder. I've been wanting to see Alex Scott play international football. I think that he's so suited to it. He's a technician, isn't he? He just looked really comfortable. I thought it was nice that he was involved in that first goal, where he scans a couple of little times just to see who's behind him, takes it on the back foot, into Jude, Jude into Harry Kane. Lovely little touch and finish from Harry. From that moment on, England were just on fire. But it wasn't just the goals, and we'll get to them, I'm sure.