Manchester City quartet rated after England's stunning Croatia demolition
England secured a memorable 7-0 victory over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday in a match that featured four Manchester City players.
Marc Guehi started in defense for the Three Lions, whereas Elliot Anderson was among the two central midfielders; at the opposite end, Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic played for the Vatreni.
None of our boys were on target, but they were involved in the lopsided contest, either for good reason or bad. Here's a rundown of how each of them performed and their rating for the match:
How the Man City four fared during England versus Croatia
Marc Guehi - 8/10
Although critics are still out over his performances for Manchester City this season, he was impeccable for England here. Guehi's positioning was spot on, always jumping into crucial interventions to impede Croatia's movements and nip any danger in the bud.
He blocked two of Croatia's shots, but the former Crystal Palace star's main contribution was winning back possession, as Guehi made nine recoveries.
With 92 completed passes (from 97), the 26-year-old was also vital to building up England's offensive plays from the back, including the one leading to their opening goal, as Guehi intercepted his City teammate Gvardiol and started a move that led to Harry Kane's opener.
Elliot Anderson - 8.5/10
Manchester City's £116 million man had another stormer for the Three Lions. Not only was he vital to circulating the ball, but he also made the right kind of passes that unnerved the hapless Croatians, who left plenty of gaps behind.
Anderson made five crosses in the match, including one for Kane to assist his second of the evening, playing a neat one-two with Bukayo Saka to evade his teammate Gvardiol in the build-up. He carried the ball throughout, although one sloppy giveaway in the first half nearly resulted in a goal for Croatia.
Josko Gvardiol - 3/10
Boy, he may never want to face England again. The defender had an awful night, with England running him ragged with their devastating link-ups and electric pace on the break, to which Gvardiol had no answer.
It all went downhill for him in the eighth minute when attempting to play out from the back resulted in England intercepting it and manufacturing their opening goal, following which there was no coming back for him. Kane repeatedly attacked the spaces he left in behind, while Gvardiol's man-marking was extremely poor on the day too.
Mateo Kovacic - 5/10
England were so ruthless with their press that Mateo Kovacic just couldn't deal with the intensity here. He was tasked with helping the Vatreni relieve some of the pressure and get the ball forward, but Croatia kept losing possession rather cheaply.
Kovacic also had the best chance of the game for Croatia when Anderson squandered the ball, and the former Real Madrid midfielder drove forward before rounding Jordan Pickford. But somehow, he contrived to fire it wide with the goal gaping in front of him. Some extra points for his defensive efforts and ability to win duels.
