Chapter 345: A Lesson in Dribbling
England's head coach McClaren looked tense, standing on the sidelines, unable to sit still.
Although it was only one goal conceded, the overall situation had turned extremely unfavorable.
The midfield couldn't distribute the ball; passing options were limited.
Most importantly, England's rhythm was completely chaotic.
The midfield deadlock between Gerrard and Lampard still persisted.
Gerrard couldn't find a way to pass the ball, and Lampard wouldn't drop back.
For over twenty minutes, Lampard seemed to have vanished from the game.
The 'Magic Lamp' who had shined so brightly at Chelsea was now dimming in this match.
He had hoped to rely on the combination of Gerrard and Lampard, front and back, to launch attacks—but the reality was the exact opposite.
The two simply couldn't connect!
McClaren scratched his head.
No way!
They trained fine, but once the match started it's like this?
Are these two messing with me?
But now the key was how to break the deadlock.
The midfield's organization and build-up needed urgent fixing.
McClaren instinctively turned to look at Beckham sitting on the bench.
Beckham glanced back, a slight smirk on his lips.
Beckham hated McClaren.
After all, who would like a guy who kept him on the bench?
Since McClaren announced Beckham's replacement citing age, the two had been at odds.
Beckham believed he could still play.
McClaren said, "You can't."
Facing such rejection, Beckham was hardly going to support him.
If it weren't for the upcoming Euro qualifiers, Beckham might have exploded and started a fight.
"Shit!" McClaren muttered under his breath, turning his gaze back to the pitch.
He waved at Phillips.
"Drop deeper to help receive, get the ball out from the back!"
At this moment, McClaren had to rely on the talented youngster he had personally promoted.
Phillips perked up.
Though they had conceded a goal, his tactical role had increased.
"Watch me, sir!" Phillips ran back onto the pitch eagerly.
Meanwhile, the match was about to resume.
The Croatian players finished celebrating and returned to their positions.
"The situation is becoming clearer. The lads are playing great. I'm curious why England's defense suddenly stopped marking Suker closely. Do they think he's no longer a threat?"
Croatic striker Kraušić joked arrogantly while leading, laughing boisterously.
Before the match, England's media had slammed Croatia with all sorts of disparaging reports.
But once the game started, they were quickly put back in their place.
The "Three Lions" turned into the "Three Kittens"—
They were getting thrashed by England!
Honestly, England's bad reputation is largely due to its media causing drama.
On the pitch, the game restarted.
England kicked off, but Croatia maintained their high pressing.
They constantly pressured England's lines, trying to disrupt their rhythm.
However, England found some countermeasures: two attacking midfielders dropped back to provide passing options.
Lampard was forced to retreat and help out.
Though passing wasn't smooth, it was just enough.
Still, the problems persisted.
England lacked organization!
They just played on instinct!
They pushed forward, shooting whenever possible, with no real interference or distraction to Croatia's defense.
Even their attempts had minimal effect.
Watching Lampard awkwardly controlling the ball and often dumping it into crowds, the Sky Sports commentators couldn't stand it.
"So clumsy!"
English players' technical roughness wasn't a new topic.
But for an organizer in midfield, if your technique is this poor, how do you expect your teammates to play?
And Phillips — rather than helping organize, it looked like he just "banged through."
Repeatedly charging down the wings, only to be disrupted and contained by Srna.
Charging is fine, but you have to break through!
Just "charging," no "breaking," doesn't cut it!
Phillips once again had the ball on the flank, dribbling hesitantly.
"Phillips' desire to break through is high, but the problem is he can't create real disruption on the wing," said the Sky Sports commentator awkwardly. "Srna's doing a great job."
That's all he could say.
Should he just openly criticize Phillips' failure?
Srna, noticing Phillips probing, played his own tricks, pressing tightly.
Phillips had good speed and explosiveness, but his technique was typical "English level."
Under pressure, his flaws quickly showed.
His feet pedaled like he was riding a bicycle — but the ball didn't keep up.
"Oh no~~~"
The commentator covered his eyes.
He couldn't bear to watch!
What kind of performance was this?
Croatian commentators laughed.
"Pedaling and still losing the ball?"
Davor Suk grinned: "Joe Cole's recent form is pretty good, even Pele praised him. He's the only English player reaching Brazilian level!"
Kraušić and Bešić blinked, then burst into laughter.
Phillips, realizing his embarrassment, immediately turned to shield the ball.
Suddenly, Suker appeared right in front and stole the ball.
"Give it back!"
Phillips angrily rushed to tackle.
Suker did a quick feint and pulled away.
As Phillips stretched out his leg, Suker performed a slick step-over, easily bypassing him.
Facing Lampard's pressure next, Suker lightly flicked the ball, jumped over it.
The ball slid right between Lampard's legs, and Suker single-handedly carried the ball out from the back.
Wowwwwwwwwwwwww——
Maksimir Stadium exploded with cheers from Croatian fans.
They looked at the disheveled England team with uncontainable joy.
In the commentary box, Kraušić winked: "See! That's how you do a proper dribble!"
After carrying the ball out, Suker passed to Modrić, then glanced at Phillips.
Phillips looked back at Suker.
Suker raised his chin slightly and smiled.
Phillips' face flushed red.
He felt Suker was taunting him, as if saying he couldn't dribble at all.
Suker indeed was provoking Phillips.
At the same time, he had a certain recognition of the English players' footwork.
"Worse than my useless teammates!" Suker muttered quietly.
The match had entered the 40th minute, but England's attack still showed no signs of improvement.
Crouch, the tall striker up front, had only touched the ball twice in 40 minutes and had one shot.
Joe Cole was similar—under Croatia's relentless pressing, it was hard for him to make progress.
Lampard, however, seemed to be having fun.
He had the most shots for England so far.
Four long shots, two on target.
The visiting English fans had started to curse.
"Pass the ball!"
"Why keep your head down? Lift your heads, damn it!"
"Shoot! For God's sake, just shoot!"
"You're all useless! Go eat shit!"
English fans were known for their fiery temper.
Seeing their team so passive, their anger flared up.
They exchanged insults with Croatian fans nearby, occasionally cursing both England and Croatia players on the pitch.
They cursed whoever was close!
Suker could understand their frustration.
After all, England was playing terribly.
Near halftime, Suker and Mandžukić completed a quick one-two.
Suker burst into the box and suddenly chipped the ball to the far post.
Rakitić followed up with a shot.
The ball grazed the post and went out.
That was the last attack of the half.
The referee blew the whistle for halftime.
"Halftime! Croatia leads England 1-0 thanks to Suker's goal!"
"Looking at the first half, Croatia controlled the midfield, while England played very passively."
"Their so-called tactical system was completely disrupted!"
"The English manager McClaren used a 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation, but it was ineffective."
The Sky Sports commentators shook their heads.
Ancelotti could play 4-3-2-1 because he had four number 10s controlling midfield:
Suker, Kaká, Seedorf, Pirlo—a powerful controlling quartet.
With Suker and Kaká as attacking midfielders, capable of passing, shooting, dribbling, and running.
McClaren hoped Phillips and Joe Cole could replicate that effect. Could they?
Joe Cole aside, Phillips couldn't handle the attacking midfield role.
He just couldn't!
That lesson Suker gave with his "teaching-style" dribble already proved it.
He didn't have the skill.