England were 4-2 at half-time against Croatia before finishing with a 4-2 win, but the opening 45 looked much closer to Anthony Barry's description of it as "complicated and confusing" than to anything polished. Thomas Tuchel said England chose to go safe and played too many balls backwards, and the numbers back that up.
Why the first half looked off
Tuchel said England won only 33% of ground duels in the first half, then 73% after the break. That is a sharp swing, and it matches the feel of a side that was not getting enough rhythm through possession. He also said they "struggled to find any rhythm" and did not have the confidence to go through the gaps with short passes.
The wide players did not give England much either. Anthony Gordon completed just 9 passes in 78 minutes, well below his Newcastle average of 26.3 per game. Noni Madueke completed zero dribbles across 78 minutes. Jude Bellingham also had only 23 passes in 85 minutes.
Set pieces did the heavy lifting
If England had a clear edge, it was from dead balls. Declan Rice delivered all 8 of England's corners and created 4 chances leading directly to attempts on goal. That is the side of the game that actually looked organised.
Barry put it plainly: "We've always been able to rely on set pieces". England's open play was too cautious for long stretches, but the dead-ball work kept them in control of the scoreline while the game was still messy.
That is why the 4-2 result matters less than the pattern inside it. England found a way through, but the first half still looked like a team leaning on set pieces while waiting for the rest of its attack to settle down.
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