The Three Lions' World Cup campaign got off to a thrilling, if not altogether smooth, start as England came from behind twice to beat Croatia 2-1 in Dallas. But it was clear that England's usually composed team were feeling the pressure early on – and their assistant coach Anthony Barry made no bones about it.
Before heading into the dressing room at half-time, Barry gave ITV reporter Gabriel Clarke a blunt assessment of England's first-half display, labelling it 'complicated and confusing'. He acknowledged that some of the initial struggles could be attributed to 'nervous energy', but quickly moved on to criticise decision-making. It was clear he felt England were playing too long when they should have been short, and vice versa – and failing to exploit gaps to accelerate their play.
The team's reliance on set pieces for both goals also left Barry with a headache. 'We fall back into some fearful patterns' after Kane's penalty gave them the lead, he warned – but it was the equaliser that really got his goat. Whatever Barry and head coach Gareth Southgate said during the interval must have hit home, though – because just minutes after the restart, Jude Bellingham popped up with a crucial goal to shift the momentum decisively in England's favour.
And then Marcus Rashford sealed the victory in style with his 85th-minute finish. While this win will be celebrated, Barry's candid comments provide a timely reminder that even in victory, there are areas for improvement – and that the England coaching staff will be working tirelessly to rectify their defensive lapses ahead of their next fixtures.
It was a breathless, back-and-forth affair in Dallas, but one thing is clear: this England team has what it takes to win a World Cup – but they need to be sharper and more clinical if they're going to lift the trophy. The fact that they were able to rectify their issues so swiftly in the second half will give them plenty of hope for the rest of the tournament.