Spain's match against Croatia was the latest of the four matches in the round.

So it's not just the French team that's interested in this game.

According to the arrangement of the World Cup matchup order, England, who have advanced to the semi-finals, will be the next round opponent of the winner of this match between Spain and Croatia.

So England coach Southgate is also paying close attention to this game, seeing that the Croatian team is already three goals behind before the first half is over, Southgate's brows can't help but wrinkle.

"It's almost certain that Spain will be our opponent in the next round."

Although he had been prepared for this result, Southgate's mood was still very heavy when he saw that the Spanish team was really about to qualify.

How much he wants to see the Spanish team overturn and lose to the Croatian team!

As soon as the second half began, the Croatian team took the initiative to attack, and it was a quick attack.

The goal was a huge morale boost for the Croatian team, who saw the possibility of an equaliser.

Croatia's attack looked fierce but didn't actually make much of a threat.

"Is it as bad as you say? I'm a veteran of Real Madrid, you're a senior! ”

Because no team has 100% confidence in guarding against Lin Quan, but if there is a slight mistake, it may be punished.

Although the Croatian team performed very well in this World Cup, and even played a big victory like 3:0 Argentina.

Modric laughed: "At my age, I may not be able to participate in the next World Cup, but if I do go, I hope I don't meet you again, whether it is the group stage or the knockout round!" ”

The players didn't buy it at all and continued to heckle and there was jubilation in the dressing room.

So much so that Lin Quan, who finally entered the locker room, rejected the old man's hug with a disgusted face:

At the end of the game, the Croatian players collapsed to the ground one by one as if they had been drained of all their strength.

The midfield strength of the England team is not bad, they have Kane, Sterling, Rashford, Lingard, Vardy and others in the team.

……

Mandzukic, although very active, has not fallen behind in many confrontations with Pique and Ramos.

But it was embarrassing that his teammates had a hard time getting the ball to his feet.

The Croatian team was very aggrieved, they wanted to attack, but they had too much defensive pressure at the back and had to come back to defend.

"Really? So why isn't your name in the top 20 appearances in Real Madrid's history? ”

With Spain already prepared, it was too difficult to break down their defenses by means of positional warfare.

According to their predictions, Spain should play conservatively at this time and replace attacking players with defensive players.

Players from both teams left the field and returned to their locker rooms.

They were too tired in this game, they were completely suppressed by the opponent in the first half, and it was difficult to play the counterattack in the second half.

As a result, their counterattack was completely strangled in the cradle.

Spain's two centre-backs are not very tall, Ramos is only 1.84m, and it will be difficult to compete with Mandzukic, who is 1.9 meters tall.

……

He replaced Iniesta, who was running out of fitness, and brought on Koke to further strengthen the interception in the middle and the protection of the wing.

Seeing this, Bosque was a little bold to replace David Silva and replace Asensio.

Spain, which further strengthened their attacking capabilities, played vigorously in the closing stages of the game.

Seeing that the opponent's offensive was suppressed, Bosque chose to replace Carvajal and replace Nacho.

The score became 3:1, and Croatia was still two goals behind.

As soon as Bosque's words came out, some people immediately began to heckle:

Mandzukic has a strong header and is a veritable air dominant.

In the dressing room of the Spanish team, Bosque stood at the door of the dressing room with a red face, and every time he passed a player, he had to hug the player, pat the other party's back, and say: Good job, boy!

The old man seemed to be motivating the players in this way, but he ignored the fact that the players had just finished the first half of the game, and at this time they were sweating profusely, and Bosque, the 'towel' that took the initiative to send to the door, was naturally fully used by the fans.

Anyway, when the Croatian players left the locker room, their expressions were very solemn, and they exuded a feeling of low pressure up and down.

He flicked the ball to his team-mate, who pushed the ball away without being defended.

The older you get, the more demonic you get?

How do you feel like he's scolding me?

Am I an old youkai?

"Hey, I feel that things are not good, AC Milan also led three at half-time, and then opened champagne in the dressing room and was overturned by the opponent, coach, you are cursing us!"

But he was a little apprehensive, Croatia defended tightly, and both were scored three goals in the half by Spain.

"Okay, okay, don't tease the coach, let the coach tell us about tactics!"

But Bosque, sensing the danger, immediately made a substitution.

"Congratulations on your victory, and I hope you can go far in the next races."

To be honest, after watching the first half of the game between Spain and Croatia, he felt that Croatia's defense had done a good job.

Although the goal was not scored by Mandzukic himself, it was an assist from him.

It seems that the conclusion has been reached on who is strong and who is weak.

Obviously, they are so close to the top four, but they still can't cross this hurdle after all!

After the game, Modric took the initiative to find Lin Quan and wanted to exchange jerseys with his opponent.

The opponent did play better than them, so he fully deserved this victory.

Croatia did threaten with a header in the second half and scored in the 55th minute.

Although England are stronger at the back than Croatia, the midfield is clearly inferior to their opponents, and it may be difficult to limit Spain by defending.

If the quality of his team-mate's crosses is better, Mandzukic's header can be a huge threat.

Compared to the optimistic and positive Spanish players, it is not known what the Croatian head coach said to his players in the dressing room.

But Bosque did not follow the usual path, and when he was leading by a large score, he did not choose a conservative substitution, but was very aggressive to replace a winger.

"That's not what I said just now!"

In the end, the match was over at full-time, and Spain defeated Croatia 3-1 to advance to the semi-finals.

Therefore, after seeing the fate of the Croatian team, Southgate immediately ruled out the tactic of wanting to rely on defense to deal with the Spanish team.

There is not much time left for them, the task of scoring three goals in the half is too heavy, they can't wait for the players who have dragged to Spain to slip and must start attacking now to speed up the physical consumption of their opponents.

Luka Modric is 33 years old this year and will be 37 years old in the next World Cup.

Seeing that it was not possible to attack the middle, the Croatian team immediately changed its strategy and began to raise high balls from the side to let Mandzukic in the penalty area fight for the top.

"For a player like you, who is getting older and more demonic, 37 years old is nothing, I think it's no problem for you to play until you are 40 years old, so the next World Cup will be gone!"

Bosque was furious, kicked one by one, and kicked the ass of the players who were heckling:

"Did I say we're going to win? I'm asking you to pay attention to the rational distribution of energy and win the game in the most economical way! ”

But in the eyes of the outside world, they are not as strong as the Spanish team, and if they choose either of these two teams as opponents, I believe that most people will choose Croatia.

"Oh oh, the coach is intimidated!"

In addition, Mandzukic has a lot of physical consumption in the long and intense physical confrontation, although he himself gritted his teeth and persisted, his physical strength is no longer enough to support him to complete such a heavy task.

"I will change people from 60 minutes after 60 minutes according to the physical condition of the players on the field, if anyone feels that they can't hold on in the second half, they can greet me in advance, don't force yourself, there are less than 4 days before our next semi-final, everyone should maintain their physical condition, don't consume too much."

But these three conceded goals are really incomprehensible, and most of them will be conceded if they are replaced.

Although reaching the quarterfinals is a task for them, the players are still very unwilling in their hearts.

This substitution made the scene burst into exclamations, Spain, which was leading the score, still had to attack?

The substitution paid off, as the quality of Spain's defence improved thanks to Koke's excellent running ability and coverage.

It's just that it's going to be in the same state for four years until the next World Cup, and it's still very difficult.

Croatia's attack began to fire and they were unable to score a second goal.

If the England team really goes out to play against the opponent, will it be a tragedy by the Spanish team?

Thinking of this, Southgate was torn between a few words.

Losing to Lin Quan in this game, Modric didn't feel wronged at all.

The quality of this England team is actually quite good, but Southgate does not have much confidence in beating Spain.

The Croatian coach couldn't sit still and began to make substitutions.

He thinks to himself that he should be fine for another two or three years.

"In other words, the game is not over yet, how can we be sure that we will enter the semi-finals?"

Seeing that Bosque was almost red and warm, Iniesta, who had already quickly rinsed and walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, helped to relieve the siege.

Bosque didn't care: "If I were younger, I would definitely go up and fight with you!" ”

"Boss, are you opening champagne for half time?"

However, Lin Quan's words still made him a little concerned, although he is 33 years old this year, he is considered an old player among professional players, but Modric's condition is actually very good.

With the assistance of Nacho, Lin Quan's side was a little overwhelmed, and the Croatian team not only couldn't attack, but was about to be pressed back to their own half of the defense.

But considering that the Croatian team is not a traditional strong team, the reason why the Croatian team can achieve good results this time is entirely because of catching up with this group of excellent players.

The opposition has a new winger, full of energy and speed, and as long as he has the ball, he can take care of their physically exhausted teammates on the wing.

"Ahem, okay, since you ask for it, I'll briefly talk about the tactics of the second half!"

is also in a dilemma of being harassed by the other party, and the players are not only physically exhausted, but also mentally consumed.

Although this substitution was a counterpoint substitution, Nacho's arrival injected new vitality into the Spanish team.

Bosque's old face flushed, and he couldn't hold back his face when he was scolded by Ramos.

Nacho, who is full of energy, has been very active since he came on the court, stalking on the defensive end, and stopping the opponent's attacks from the wing again and again.

Although Pique is tall, Mandzukic is too physically capable of confrontation, and it is difficult for him to take advantage of the opponent alone.

After exchanging jerseys, Lin Quan hugged Modric and then left with the opponent's jersey.

Shui Ye, who is also a defender, doesn't buy it: "Come on, boss, at your level, playing will only drag us back and cause us to lose!" ”

However, the effect of the substitutions was not ideal, the situation on the field was deadlocked, and the Croatian team attacked lively, but the thunder and rain were small, and the threat to the Spanish goal was getting lower and lower.

These people can only play their full strength when they are attacking, and if they retreat to defense, their talent will be wasted.

So, Southgate began to think, should he go out and have a bang with Spain?

Even if it falls in the end, it is on the way to attack.

While not as impressive among players of the same era, it's not as bad as Ramos says.

Ramos proudly said that he has not been with Real Madrid for as long as Bosque, but he has already made more appearances than Bosque.

At the age of 37, the vast majority of players have already retired, and Modric himself is not sure whether he will play football or be able to enter the national team by then.

Just as Southgate pondered how to deal with Spain, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half.

Modric looked at his back in the distance, still thinking about what he had just said.

Although the Spanish squad is aging, the guy in their squad is really rebellious, which leads to a lot of psychological pressure on everyone when facing Spain.

Bosque also plays as a defender and has played for Real Madrid for more than a decade in his career, playing hundreds of games for Real Madrid.

Lin Quan pinched his nose and was short, escaping from under Bosque's 'iron tongs'.

It's really not defending, it's not attacking.

Bosque softened his voice, forgive the players for the sake of how well they played in the first half!

The tactics of the second half are actually very simple, allowing the players to control the pace of the game and reduce the physical exertion.

After hugging half of the team, he was completely dirty.

"Thank you, your tenacity is impressive, and I hope to see you again in the next World Cup!"

On the offensive end, he did not hesitate to insert frequently and strongly supported the team's attack.

"Coach, you haven't played football again, why do you stink better than us?"

If he retires and the rest of the team leaves, the Croatian team will fall apart immediately, and the Croatian team will be beaten back to its original shape.

Therefore, he is the soul of the team, and he cannot easily leave the national team.

If he is still playing in four years' time, then he may really wear the Croatian jersey again and fight for his country! (End of chapter)