Gary Neville Hails England’s Control Over Luka Modric

Gary Neville has commended England for their relentless pressure on Luka Modric during the match, stating that the intensity of the team was simply too much for the veteran Croatian midfielder. Modric made history by becoming the fourth European player to participate in five World Cups, as he stepped onto the field in Dallas for Croatia's opening group-stage game against England.

However, the evening turned out to be a challenging one for the 40-year-old. England secured a 4-2 victory, with Harry Kane scoring twice and Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford adding goals in the second half. Modric struggled throughout the game and was eventually substituted for Mateo Kovacic shortly after Bellingham's goal.

Neville praised England's midfielders for effectively neutralizing the threat posed by Modric, highlighting their ability to prevent him from controlling the game. "What we were worried about at the start of the game was Luka Modric was going to run the game," Neville said on ITV. "That didn’t happen. He’s a great player, but he went off after 55 minutes—just too much for him."

Elliot Anderson, in particular, was noted for his aggressive approach towards Modric, successfully disrupting his rhythm and preventing him from dictating play. "In years gone past, England teams have stood off players like that and let them have one hundred passes—these lads didn’t do that today, to be fair to them," Neville added.

Roy Keane also expressed admiration for England's strategy against Modric. "When you're playing in the middle of the park, your experience can be vital, but if you're not at it and people are running over you, that experience can cost you," Keane remarked. "He's 40 years of age, and England dominated the midfield, which was a big part of them winning the game. I don't think England paid Modric any respect in that sense."

Despite the win, Keane pointed out that England's first-half performance would serve as a wake-up call for Thomas Tuchel and his team

. "They'll be delighted," Keane said. "Scored four goals, the attacking players obviously had an impact, subs coming on and doing well, controlling the game. They looked dangerous at set pieces, and I think it's good, though strange, that they conceded a couple of goals because it keeps them on their toes."

Neville also praised Tuchel for his halftime speech, which led to a significant improvement in England's second-half performance. "He's given them an absolute rocket at half-time, hasn't he?" Neville said. "They came out and for 20 minutes in that second half, they were breath-taking. What I liked about it then is they had to sit off and play a bit deeper. He makes the substitutions, and they have a big impact, and we go and get that fourth goal. It was a really good second half, and some of the stuff in the first 10 minutes was fantastic."

England's World Cup campaign will continue next Tuesday in Boston against Ghana.