London, Nov 12 (IANS) England head coach Thomas Tuchel believes his side must be mentally prepared for a strong response from Croatia when the two teams meet in their UEFA Nations League encounter at Wembley on Friday, insisting that the Three Lions cannot afford to be complacent after their emphatic victory in the previous meeting.
England recorded a commanding 7-0 win over Croatia in Rijeka in October. However, Tuchel expects the visitors to approach Friday’s match with a different mindset as they aim to recover from that heavy defeat.
Tuchel acknowledged Croatia’s quality and determination, saying the team had already shown its ability to bounce back in later matches.
“The Croatian national team showed a reaction straight away, which was impressive. I think they could have won the match against Spain. They had big chances that they missed and conceded a late goal. It’s a proud country, full of quality football players, so I think they want to show that this was a one-off,” Tuchel said during his pre-match press conference.
The German coach stressed that England should focus on repeating the standards and intensity that helped them dominate Croatia in their previous meeting, rather than chasing another big scoreline.
“For us, it’s important not to chase the same result, because the result was a consequence of our behaviour. So we need to not forget our behaviour and what we did offensively and defensively. We have to match the intensity and be stronger in the intensity than our opponent,” he said.
Tuchel added that overcoming Croatia’s expected reaction would be a significant test for his players, who are aiming to maintain their position in Group C and secure qualification for the Nations League quarter-finals.
“We expect a reaction from Croatia, and we expect to overcome this mental challenge for us to start from scratch,” he added.
England are currently second in Group C and need at least a draw against Croatia to confirm their place in the quarter-finals, scheduled for March next year. They will then travel to Madrid to face Spain on Sunday in their final group-stage fixture. A victory in both remaining matches could also help England finish at the top of the group.
–IANS
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