World Cup 2018: England’s immaturity let them down against Croatia, but it is their maturity which will pick them back up

Croatia had 660 international caps to England's 294, and it told during the semi-final on Wednesday

Whoever was in charge of the sound system at the Luzhniki Stadium had both a keen ear for pathos and an impeccable sense of timing. As the stands emptied, the victorious Croatians filtered down the tunnel and the last vapours of England’s World Cup campaign drifted off into the Moscow night, the last remaining pocket of fans at the southern end of the stadium were treated to the strains of Don’t Look Back In Anger by Oasis, that other great bittersweet guitar anthem from the summer of 1996. And so arms outspread, throats to the skies, in unison and in pride, they set aside their grief and belted it out together. One last shared memory from a tournament that has produced so many.

It’s memories like these that will nourish England fans over the coming days, as they sit down on Sunday night to watch France playing Croatia in a final they will feel they should have been in. Over the coming months, as the cross trainer of domestic football whirrs back into motion and the racing pulses of summer begin beat ever fainter. Yes, England lost, and deservedly so. But surely nothing that felt this good can ever be worthless.

The immediate reaction to England’s elimination, too, has demonstrated a nuance and compassion that so rarely characterises our nation’s public debate. The front and back pages were universally congratulatory rather than condemnatory, preferring to focus on the exhilarating journey rather than the bumpy landing. Of course, this is a natural initial reaction; when it comes to the British tabloid press and the bellowing chamber of social media, knives are never blunted, only sheathed. The true measure of whether this country is genuinely mature enough to accept defeat with good grace will be if the front of goodwill can hold over the next few weeks, as the ambient glow subsides, club rivalries begin to re-emerge and Raheem Sterling goes on holiday somewhere hot and expensive.

Maturity as a person is the ability to recognise emotion without being enslaved by it. This, in many ways, was England’s greatest triumph in Russia. They acknowledged the weight of history and the shroud of expectation without allowing it to cow them. They shared in the nation’s euphoria without ever getting carried away. They exited the tournament with sadness, but never bitterness or complaint. In many ways, this is perhaps the most mature group of people ever to represent England at a major tournament. That is worth celebrating.

Footballing maturity, on the other hand, is something very different. It comes not with a sound upbringing and a benevolent culture, but only through long, hard years in the game. It is about more than executing skills, but knowing when and how to do so. When to raise the tempo and when to lower it. Whether to chase down that lost cause into the far corner, or whether to save your energy and let it go out for a throw. Holding and giving, and doing it at the right time.

England's midfielder Dele Alli and England's midfielder Jesse Lingard (AFP/Getty Images)

But there’s a mental side to it, as well. Spotting an opponent who might be losing concentration or about to make a mistake, or a teammate who seems just a little too excitable. Recognising when a game is turning against you, or when the tactical weather has changed, and adjusting accordingly. Judging whether hassling the referee will convert them to your cause, or turn them against you. Finding the solutions before they’re needed.

Croatia had it. England didn’t. Croatia didn’t go on the blitz in search of an equaliser. They simply raised the temperature, increment by increment: kept passing the ball, kept asking questions of the England defence, trusting that the pressure would eventually tell on England. They noticed that referee Cuneyt Cakir was policing 50-50 challenges with an unusual leniency, and took advantage. They pressed England’s defenders relentlessly, forcing Jordan Pickford into clearing the ball long. And they were able to do this because they were able to harness their physical energies more intelligently, looking far fitter than England even though they had played two 120-minute games in succession.

(Getty (Getty)

There’s no shortcut to developing this sort of expertise. Croatia’s players had simply been doing this a lot longer than England’s. Between them, they had 660 international caps to England’s 294. Their starting XI had 355 Champions League appearances to England’s 132, and played in eight finals to England’s one. Between them, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic had played more games in Europe’s top club competition than the entire England line-up put together. They know how these big games work, what they do to your body and your mind, how to master them.

England, by contrast, are largely a Premier League team, with only an entry-level grounding in continental or international football. Of their starting XI, Jordan Henderson was their most capped player with 43; Raheem Sterling their most experienced Champions League performer. Meanwhile, Harry Maguire’s European experience stretches to one Europa League game with Hull. The library of knowledge that teaches you how to pace yourself through a match, through a tournament, through a difficult period of play, simply hasn’t been built up yet.

As a coach, too, Gareth Southgate has plenty to learn. It seems almost heretical to criticise the England coach after a campaign like this, but he will be the first to admit he has not had a perfect tournament. His substitutions haven’t really worked. His inability or refusal to adjust things tactically cost them the game against Croatia and almost cost them against Colombia. The good thing is that there are few faster learners in international coaching than Southgate. And in two years’ time, should he and his staff still be in post, they will have a far better idea of what to expect and how to handle it.

The perfect storm of low expectations and overperformance that characterised Russia 2018 will not occur again for a generation. England will almost certainly go into their next tournament expecting to be among the front-runners. But armed with experience and nous and extra layers of armour, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t thrive. England’s footballing maturity let them down on Wednesday night. But it’s their maturity as people that will allow them to grow.

After all, they already have the attitude and the capacity to learn, to listen, to stay grounded. All they need is time and games, and a young squad most of whom play their football at Champions League clubs will have both on their side. Too many England squads of the past have comprised fine footballers afflicted by a collective immaturity that prevented them from reaching their peak. What England are about to discover, by contrast, is that it’s far easier to turn mature people into mature footballers than the other way around.