Croatia will face a tougher England this time says Cole

By Mike Collett

BARCELONA (Reuters) - England have learnt from their 2006 defeat by Croatia in Zagreb and will not make the same naive mistakes when they meet again in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier, according to midfielder Joe Cole.

England, who lost 2-0 in Zagreb in a Euro 2008 qualifier nearly two years ago, travel to Croatia after Cole scored both goals in Saturday's opening 2-0 win over Andorra in Group Six.

"I think the main thing on Wednesday is that we stay solid," Cole told a news conference. "I think we are far tougher mentally now than we were then.

"Last time we went out there, we were a little bit naive and underestimated them. In the past, England teams have thrown men forward and got caught on the counter-attack a lot.

"But we have to be resolute, strong and hard to break down. We have to stay solid, compact, and pass the ball well.

"I know they haven't lost at home for a very long time.

"They have so much quality in their side; players like (Mladen) Petric, (Luka) Modric who can be very dangerous. We need to be strong and mentally tough out there."

Although the match is only the second 2010 qualifier for both teams, with Croatia having beaten Kazakhstan 3-0 on Saturday, Cole believes a victory would put England in control of a group which also includes Ukraine and Belarus.