Cole claims England were 'naive'

Updated 14.57 Mon Sep 08 2008
Keywords: football, 2010 world cup, steve mcclaren, croatia football, croatia, joe cole, fabio capello, england, england football, world cup, sport, world cup qualifiers

Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole claims England were naive on their last visit to Croatia.

The teams will meet again in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, but England go into the game after a disappointing performance in their 2-0 win over Andorra.

"I think the last time we went out there we were a little bit naive" - Joe Cole

Cole missed England's 2-0 defeat in Zagreb during the Euro 2008 qualifiers but he has criticised the way Steve McClaren's team approached that match.

He said: "I think the last time we went out there we were a little bit naive. Maybe we underestimated them slightly.

"We know all about them and they know about us.

"I think the main thing is we have to stick together out there."

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