Four goals against Croatia and the hype train is officially off the rails

Let's get one thing clear from the jump. Putting four goals past a team like Croatia in a World Cup opener is not just a win, it is a statement of intent. The scoreline ended 4-0, and frankly, it could have been worse for the opposition. We have seen England teams crumble under the weight of expectations for decades, but this squad looks different.

The movement in the final third was clinical. Instead of the usual panic when the opposition parks the bus, this side actually looked like they practiced a plan B. They sliced through the midfield with a kind of directness that frankly embarrassed the Croatian defensive shape. If you were watching the live feed at Sky Sports, you saw a masterclass in exploiting half-spaces.

The individual brilliance is masking some familiar gaps

While the front line will grab the headlines, the defensive transition remains a concern if anyone bothered to watch the replay with a critical eye. There were at least three moments in the first half where a more precise striker would have punished a high line. Playing a high line is a bold risk, but playing it against teams with actual pace in transition is a shortcut to an early flight home.

The manager will call it bravery, but I call it a lucky escape. You cannot afford those lapses once you hit the knockout rounds where every loose ball is a death sentence. Relying on individual heroics to bail out the back four is not a sustainable way to win a tournament, regardless of how good the attackers look right now.

The squad depth is the real story here

What I found most compelling was how the team didn't lose its shape after the substitutions. Usually, when the bench comes on, the intensity drops like a lead balloon. Not today. The rotation players came in with the same bite and urgency that defined the starting eleven.

This suggests the competition for spots in the starting lineup is actually working. Players aren't just coasting because they have a guaranteed jersey. They know if they walk around with their hands on their hips for ten minutes, there is someone hungrier waiting in the wings to replace them.

A reality check for the tournament favorite crowd

England fans are already acting like the trophy is being engraved, which is the most predictable sequence in sport. Calm down. Winning one match, even by a four-goal margin, is not the same as lifting the heavy gold at the end of July. Croatia looked disjointed, lethargic, and frankly, a step behind the pace of the game for the entirety of the second half.

Teams will adjust. The scouting reports are out and the next opponents will sit deeper and look to turn this game into a physical slog. Whether England has the maturity to grind out a gritty draw when the goals stop raining down is the question that defines their ceiling. For now, they look like contenders, but the real test happens when they face a team that won't give them three yards of space to breathe.