Gareth Southgate’s managerial alchemy facing stiff test as England sign off 2018 against Croatia

Now that we have all had our selfie with Wazza it is back to football of consequence. As a tournament worth winning in itself, as a backstop for Euro 2020 qualification or as validation of England’s upward trajectory, the Uefa Nations League fixture with Croatia has plenty riding on it after the nicey, nicey Wayne Rooney tribute match against a compliant United States.

A win against Croatia takes England to the Nations League finale next June. Indeed a 0-0 draw would do. But Gareth Southgate is not interested in fiddling results with this England team. He gets changed in a phonebox these days, the World Cup waistcoat replaced by a cape. Yes, Southgate is aiming for the stars.

He sent out a team with eight changes at Wembley including two debutants in Lewis Dunk and Callum Wilson plus another making his first start in Jadon Sancho, without compromising shape or momentum. Granted the USA were not Spain or Croatia. Nevertheless the outcome was further evidence of a team establishing a clear style and identity.

Bright future

Sancho gave the fullest expression of the Southgate template. Pace, trickery and confidence were all in evidence on Thursday, offering Southgate the luxury of options. It remains some paradox that in a period when England have never had fewer players from whom to select, they have a team that looks as capable as any of contesting a major tournament with a plausible chance of succeeding.

The nation is in fact benefiting in unforeseen ways from the investment of Premier League riches in youth development. Had Sancho stayed at Manchester City it is unlikely he would have had the game time to persuade Southgate of his class or gain his trust. In accepting the challenge of playing in the Bundesliga at a club, Borussia Dortmund, configured to play nippers, Sancho has made the transition from academy to first team.

Doubtless Sancho’s flowering has given Ruben Loftus-Cheek pause for thought after his return from Crystal Palace to parent club Chelsea saw first-team opportunities shrink. In his 20-minute cameo during the Rooney phase of the USA match Loftus-Cheek stood out with his verve and velocity. What he lacks is consistency, an attribute that comes only with playing regularly.

Flair and flint

Read more: England vs Croatia: TV channel, live stream details, kick-off time, team news

Southgate will bring back the A team to face Croatia, a team that strengthened it’s growing reputation with victory against Spain. They are a flair team with a flint exterior. Creativity is underpinned by a ruthless, even spiteful quality. For a nation of four million, they are pound-for-pound champions of the world.

England had the better of them for 45 minutes in the World Cup semi-final, before Croatia’s greater experience played out through the feet of Luca Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Ante Rebic, Ivan Perisic, Domagoj Vida and Dejan Lovren. The Nations League draw in Croatia was a fair outcome. Then England went to Spain and perhaps surprised even themselves with a performance as good as any they have given on a foreign field.

Thus does Southgate arrive at his final engagement of 2018 in superb shape. This is not a matter of luck but assiduous planning and teambuilding. Southgate has imbued in the squad a sense of belonging. He has effectively created England FC, a team bonded as effectively as a club side, and one which, as the Spain example showed, is capable of unleashing all its potential.

Southgate the alchemist

Read more: England vs Croatia: What has changed since Moscow?

The Southgate alchemy extends to the fans, who, it seems, are reconnecting with the England team after years being fed muddled, aimless detachment. They want from the experience a measure of what they get from Premier League top six on a Saturday afternoon. I hear you, says Southgate. “We just go for it,” he said of the meeting with Croatia.

“There’s no point in hedging our bets, that we might do this, we might do that, or we need a 0-0. We want to send our fans away with a performance that excites them. We have got a chance to get through what’s been a really strong group, so for me we just focus on going for the win.”

Oh, Gareth.