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Joe Cole has said that England will adopt a defensive approach against Croatia on Wednesday in their World Cup qualifier.
Cole says that a draw would be a good result.
"We're working on being strong and hard to break down and we have got the players to do that. Without wanting to sound negative, a draw would put us in the driving seat but we'll go out there to try to win the game. The last time we went out there we underestimated them a little bit. Looking at their performances they are a top side with great players. You need to be solid, tough and compact when you play there – you need everyone's experience on the pitch because it's going to be a hostile environment. Once you go a goal down, its so hard so we need to get off to a good start and get in their faces, shut them down. We have to play with a passion like England should do but not be naive and throw players forward."
There is no doubt that what Cole says is absolutely correct and that on current form a draw for England in Croatia would indeed be a very good result. It is just a little bit difficult for an England fan to hear the truth.
We have become so used to hearing our players, managers and media tell us that we are the best in the world that a little bit of reality comes as a bit of a shock.
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