Joe Cole fearless
It was a simple sentence from Joe Cole.
But in it perhaps lay the secret to England's chances of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
"You can't go out there and play with fear," said Cole.
Against Croatia in the Maksimir stadium tomorrow every England player must have those words sewn into their psyche as securely as the Three Lions are woven into their shirts.
England's fans want to see a side of whom they can be proud.
After a summer observing the exploits of Britain's glorious Olympians they want to see sportsmen with attitudes as positive and performances as buoyant as triple gold medal cyclist Chris Hoy and double gold swimmer Rebecca Adlington.
They want to see the blend of feisty daring and meticulous application which Andy Murray demonstrated in his US Open semi-final triumph against Rafael Nadal.
What they do not want to see again is Stewart Downing, or anyone else, scuffling down the wing before throwing in high, hopeful, aimless crosses as happened against a team of Andorran insurance salesmen last weekend.
They might have won 2-0, but England were sluggish, uninspired and depressingly lacking in invention against Andorra, a team who trail in 186th in the world rankings.
By contrast, Croatia are fifth and confident to the point of bullish under the guidance of the intelligent Slaven Bilic.
How Bilic can be worth just £100,000-a-year while England coach Fabio Capello is valued at £6million-a-year remains one of football's little mysteries.
More pertinent, however, is that Capello must not regress to his Italian roots and strangle his team's effectiveness in a shroud of caution.
If he does, England's World Cup hopes might be sabotaged beyond repair.
Caution and diffidence brought England both their European Championship qualifying defeats against Croatia, in Zagreb in 2006 via goalkeeper Paul Robinson's air-kick howler and at Wembley last year when former manager Steve McClaren stood under his umbrella and watched his disorganized side taken apart.
Confidence is derived from favorable results and sound performances against strong opposition.
That is not something England possess in abundance after a fortunate 2-2 draw in a friendly against the Czech Republic and an unconvincing display against Andorra.
But they do have Cole and Theo Walcott, two players who did enhance their reputations in Barcelona at the weekend and who do provide the pace, the energy and the movement England otherwise lack.
It would be a gamble because Walcott is 19 and such youth is notoriously inconsistent but his display against Andorra demands Capello's loyalty.
The same might be said for Frank Lampard, who was another of England's better players in the absence of Steven Gerrard.
Should David Beckham play? The answer must be no, although it makes sense to keep him as an option on the bench if desperation requires a late cameo from the master of the dead ball.
But England need to start exuding freshness and vitality. They need to show movement and variation, which is why this is a game for Jermaine Defoe rather than Emile Heskey, if they are not to be picked off by Croatia's superior technicians. They need to play, as Cole says, without fear. They need to dare to win.
Terry demands England take charge
England captain John Terry wants England to "take control" of their World Cup 2010 qualifying group with victory over Croatia tomorrow, but insists a draw would still represent a good result.
Terry, ahead of his first major challenge since being reappointed as skipper under Fabio Capello, believes that Croatia's quality - not to mention their dominance over England in the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign - will make victory in Zagreb a tough task.
But for the the Chelsea defender the rewards are equally high.
"If we win the game we take control. If we win every home game and our big games, we'll be okay," he said.
"The memories of last time time, home and away, will be enough to get the lads fighting. It's a fresh start for everyone - a new campaign with everybody fighting for a place under the new manager.
"If we can win tomorrow then great but if we draw it is a very good result too. They haven't lost here for a while and that is something we're aware of."
Ferdinand fit for Croatia
Defender Rio Ferdinand has been declared fit and is available for England's crucial World Cup qualifier with Croatia in Zagreb tomorrow evening.
The England vice-captain returned to training yesterday after missing the 2-0 win over Andorra in Barcelona at the weekend with a neck problem.
And head coach Fabio Capello is happy that the Manchester United star will be 100% ready for the clash with Slaven Bilic's side.
Capello said: "Rio is fit for the game and it is good to have him available because he is a leader and an important player."
Ferdinand is set to return in place of Joleon Lescott after the Everton defender did not have one of his most assured games against the part-timers of Andorra.
Ferdinand's experience of the big occasion will be crucial with England aware of the need to avoid a repeat of the 2-0 defeat they suffered in a Euro 2008 qualifier in the same stadium two years ago.
Capello declared a clean bill of health for his squad to leave him with several selection posers to mull over.
He has to decide whether to recall David Beckham in place of Theo Walcott and also has to weigh up if Joe Cole, the two-goal hero against the Andorrans, should return to his first XI.
The Chelsea player, who admits his best position would be operating behind two strikers, has been on the bench for the past four games.
