Harry Kane says England showed they can overpower top opposition when they reach “Premier League levels” of intensity after a 7-0 away win over Croatia in the third round of the UEFA Nations League A.
England produced one of their most complete displays in recent years, according to Kane, setting the tone from the opening minute and maintaining control until stoppage time.
“Without a doubt, this was one of our best performances,” Kane told the media after the match. “Croatia is a truly top team, and from the first minute we set an incredibly high standard, both with and without the ball.”
England’s approach was built around aggressive pressing and quick recoveries of possession. They then converted their opportunities in the final third with accurate passing and finishing to secure a convincing victory away from home.
Kane said the squad deserved considerable credit, particularly after spending a prolonged period together in camp.
“It’s easy for players to become complacent when the training camp has been ongoing for a while now,” he said. “But this win will give us even stronger momentum going into the final match.”
Asked whether the result represented England’s most complete performance of late, Kane agreed.
He said the team had been focused throughout the week on delivering a performance over the full 90 minutes, rather than producing isolated spells of excellence.
“We had moments of brilliance at the World Cup, or played well for 45 minutes in one game and 30 minutes in another,” Kane said. “It was similar against Spain; there were highlights, but we never managed to deliver a full 90-minute high-level performance.”
That changed against Croatia, as England combined physical intensity with control in possession and without it.
“Today, however, we showed complete dominance from the first minute to stoppage time,” Kane added. “When we raise our intensity to Premier League levels, with high running and tackling, not many teams can keep up with our pace.”
Kane warned, however, that England must not allow the scale of the victory to reduce their focus. The immediate priority is to finish strongly, perform well in the group stage and maintain their standards in the matches ahead.
“We have two tough fixtures in November, so we absolutely cannot become complacent after such a big win,” he said.
England will return to Wembley in a few days, when Kane believes the team must reproduce the same energy and concentration to secure another victory and complete the match in the strongest possible way.
