Croatia captain Luka Modric has admitted he would rather have faced a previous incarnation of the England team, rather than Gareth Southgate’s re-energised unit.
Modric made his name in England, playing for Tottenham before moving to Real Madrid, and he remembers the unrest about the national team and the disconnect between players and fans.
However, since Southgate’s arrival, that has all come to change.
“They are looking strong as a team,” Modric said.
“I don’t know if there is a different mentality but it seems that they are more like a team. They have this togetherness that is very important to have success
“England have suffered less than us. And we have fewer days to recover for the semi-final than we did for the quarter-final. But it’s a semi-final. We will find the extra motivation, the extra everything.”