Bilić: "We are disappointed, this requires redemption"

Disappointment

"It is difficult to say anything smart or positive after a match like this. We are disappointed and we feel sorry for the children, the fans, ourselves and the players. No one is having a harder time than us, but we have to accept it. We can talk about football after a 7-0 defeat, but what can we say other than that England were so much superior, faster, more aggressive and better in every aspect of the game. Later, the focus and collective desire also drop when you keep losing duels, goal after goal goes in, and it is difficult to accept that."

Redemption

"At half-time I said I did not expect any comeback. I would have signed for it to finish 4-0 because I know how both our players and theirs were feeling. As I said at the end, I told them it was time to show unity and character. The only task was to regroup and not allow a fifth and then a sixth goal, but it was difficult to lift the players for a comeback. It would be silly to say that we are now going to beat Spain, but this is the moment to show whether we are capable or not, and I know we are. We put ourselves in this situation. It is easy to be good when everything is going wonderfully. We are going to Split to play a proper, tough match and redeem ourselves. This requires redemption. Some matches, like the one in Seville, need to be forgotten, but this one needs to be remembered."

Without energy

"It is my responsibility and I am not looking for excuses. Even though we have some players who are not getting minutes at their clubs, that cannot explain such a huge difference. England played the same way as they did against the Czech Republic and Spain. We had a pattern to prepare for and they were beating us with moves we had anticipated, which perhaps makes it even harder. In life, football and work, if there is no energy, there is no success. These players have that energy; otherwise they would not have achieved everything they have so far, but tonight we did not have it. It was clear from the first second that England were moving faster, better and stronger, but we cannot play like this."

Defence

"As a former defender, it is obviously difficult for me to see this kind of defensive performance, but it is not just about the players in defence. There were not more England players on the pitch, yet they were free all over the pitch. There were things here that I said as far back as this summer that I would have to fix. I got some answers, but not the ones I wanted. It was a collective 'blackout', which can start with an individual mistake and then grow. The vast majority of the players were outmatched from the start, even though they are not normally like that. Some of them are club teammates, they play against England every week and compete for the same positions."

Copyright by Croatian Football Federation. Quoting text from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to HNS as a source and providing direct link to the original content at hns.family. Re-use of the photographs is not permitted.