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If history is anything to go by, England have the upper hand against Croatia when the two sides meet on 11th July in the second semi-final of the FIFA World Cup. The two sides have met 7 times before, with England winning 4 times and losing only twice.
The last time they faced each other in a major tournament was Euro 2004, where Wayne Rooney scored twice to ensure England won the game 4-2. However, history does not always decide the outcome of a game as crucial as the World Cup semi-finals, and as such Gareth Southgate will need all the tricks in his bag to stop an inspired Croatian side.
Among the many guns in his weaponry, there is a young and fast Manchester United forward who is raring to go and justify his immense talent. At 20 years old, Marcus Rashford already has 23 caps for England and has scored 3 goals.
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He is coming off a stellar season with Manchester United, where Jose Mourinho has used him 63 times in all competitions. He has scored 13 goals and has 6 assists to his name and is also flexible in his position. He has averaged 1.8 shots at goal and 1.4 dribbles per game.
In his 35 appearances in the Premier League, 18 of which were as a substitute, he has attempted 61 shots, with 21 of them on target. He has hit the woodwork twice and put in 81 crosses.
And he is fast, having recorded 35.21 kmph in the 2017-2018 season. It is time that the England Manager unleashed Marcus Rashford upon the Croatians and there are 5 interesting reasons why he should do so
#5 Speed, Power and Finishing
Like the teenage sensation Mbappe, Rashford is gifted with pace to burn and he will stretch the Croatian defence to ensure there is more room for runners from the midfield. Right back Sime Vrsaljko has niggling injury concerns and in the rare case that he misses out, Corluka or Jedvaj could start.
Rashford could take advantage of either situation and even if Vrsaljko is fit, Rashford will cause him to be careful while joining the attack. Rashford also has a fiery shot in him and his finishing could provide Southgate with an alternative to the misfiring Sterling.
Rashford also has the ability to hit some long rangers and he likes to drive back inside from the left and target the second bar. And consider this, Kylian Mbappe recorded a top speed of 32.4 kmph against Argentina. Marcus Rashford, coming on as a substitute in England’s 2-0 win over Sweden, achieved a top speed of 33.77kmph.
#4 Work Ethics
Rashford likes to attack, but under Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, he has shouldered a lot of defensive responsibilities, tracking back throughout the game and helping the fullbacks out of tricky situations.
Ashley Young has been outstanding so far, but against a settled Croatia side marshalled by the fabulous Luka Modric, he will need all the help he can get. Rashford will ensure that the left-back is not caught out in position, and will also provide pace in the counter attacks.
Against a team of Croatia's standards, attack might turn out to be the best defence and Rashford will be a good option to the English midfield whenever there is a break.
#3Statistics
Yes, the game against Belgium was a poor performance from him, especially since his miss became a talking point, but it was Rashford in the wrong team against the wrong strike partner, Vardy.
Pitting him among the first 11 will bring out a different animal. Altogether in the 120 minutes, he played in this tournament, Rashford had 4 attempts on goal, with one of them on target. He had 1 delivery and 5 dribbles into the penalty box, the second highest in the team, and attempted 4 crosses.
Compare him with Sterling, who in the 335 minutes he played, had 7 attempts on goal with just 1 of them on target. He has 4 deliveries and 6 dribbles into the penalty area and attempted 3 crosses. Neither of them has scored a goal, but Sterling did notch up an assist. A full 90 minutes with the right team alongside him could bring the best out of Rashford yet.
#2 Southgate’s Secret Weapon
Since he has been sparingly used in this World Cup, Marcus Rashford could turn out to be England’s secret weapon against a very potent Croatian team. His pace could be used to unsettle Lovren, who has that one mistake in him.
Southgate could take an example from how France have used Mbappe’s pace effectively. Even though in this age of technology, there is nothing unknown about a footballer, Rashford could actually end up drawing defenders and leaving Harry Kane free.
Rashford could cut inside from the left and unleash a bullet from his right boot. He would certainly add an entirely different dimension to England’s game, which Croatia might not be ready for. He could keep one of Rakitic or Modric busy with his trickery and in the end, might nullify their effect on the game.
#1 His Partnership with his club mates
Week in week out, Rashford has lined up at and away from Old Trafford, on the left side of the front 3, with Ashley Young behind him at left back and Lingard to his right in the middle. At Manchester United, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard link up very well together.
The same can be said about the understanding between him and Ashley Young. These 3 have played alongside each other for more than a couple of years now and know every intricate detail about the other’s style of play.
So Rashford will know when to track back to cover for Young and when to expect Lingard’s run from midfield. Just like Southgate is reaping the benefits of Dele Alli’s understanding with Harry Kane, Rashford's understanding with the other Red Devils in the team could be the missing piece of the English Coach's puzzle.
Whether he is on the pitch from the start or comes in later as a substitute, Gareth Southgate and the world knows that Marcus Rashford has the capabilities to make the Croatian defence worry.
It is now up to the England Coach to decide if Rashford is a calculated risk worth taking. In intense games like the one ahead, even a little bit of faith from a manager, a little pat on the back, could be the deciding factor.
Should Marcus Rashford start against Croatia? Have your say in the comments below
