It got a bit lost amid – well – all of the commotion about the lack of noise, but just as relevant as the absence of fans in Rijeka was the absence of form from England’s main match-winner. Harry Kane has now gone six internationals without a goal.

The question is how concerning this should actually be, even if it is one that will always be more pronounced when other attackers like Marcus Rashford are so profligate.

We at least know exactly why the Manchester United forward is in the form he is. Still so young, he hasn’t responded well to the irregular situation at Manchester United, or to the man-management of Jose Mourinho. That obviously isn’t all on the Portuguese but Rashford is a player who is said to often be baffled by how Mourinho talks to him and about him. He could do with a change.

Croatia vs England - player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Croatia vs England - player ratings Croatia vs England - player ratings Dominik Livakovic - 7/10 Making just his second appearance for his country, Livakovic had a good game and made a sublime save from Rashford’s second golden chance. He looked a little vulnerable from balls in to the box, but survived with clean sheet intact. REUTERS Croatia vs England - player ratings Tin Jedvaj - 6 Offered little going forward until a nice run in the game’s dying ebbs, but stout defensively. His future likely lies in the centre of defence, you feel. REUTERS Croatia vs England - player ratings Dejan Lovren - 7 Lovren kept Harry Kane virtually silent and won plenty in the air. Zlatko Dalic will have no complaints, and quietly Lovren continues to churn out impressive performances. Action Images via Reuters Croatia vs England - player ratings Domagoj Vida - 7 One early stampede forward would have brought the crowd to life had the doors been open, but more importantly a faultless defensive performance to keep Kane and co. quiet. Getty Images Croatia vs England - player ratings Josip Pivaric - 7 Pivaric made an excellent early tackle to prevent Raheem Sterling scoring. Jadon Sancho worried him a little, but otherwise a sturdy performance. Action Images via Reuters Croatia vs England - player ratings Luka Modric - 6 An average Luka Modric performance that didn’t move the needle either way. Busy and calm in possession as ever. REUTERS Croatia vs England - player ratings Mateo Kovacic - 6 Kovacic played a different role for Croatia as the deepest man in their midfield. He was disciplined in his task, but that meant he was largely unable to get on the ball and show off his dribbling abilities. PA Croatia vs England - player ratings Ivan Rakitic - 6 Rakitic was withheld throughout, but performed his defensive duties effectively with some firm challenges. Action Images via Reuters Croatia vs England - player ratings Andrej Kramaric - 4 Kramaric squandered every single one of his three quality opportunities (though the bobbly pitch was a hindrance) and offered little leading the line. REUTERS Croatia vs England - player ratings Ante Rebic - 6 Rebic put himself about and had some bright moments, but seems to be lacking the qualities required to make consistent telling contributions at this level. PA Croatia vs England - player ratings Ivan Perisic - 7 Perisic was Croatia’s most prominent attacking threat while on the pitch, and tracked back superbly on numerous occasions to combat Kyle Walker’s threat. Substituted after about 70 minutes. AFP/Getty Images Croatia vs England - player ratings Jordan Pickford - 6 A quiet night between the sticks for Pickford, but one good save from Ivan Perisic’s strike. AP Croatia vs England - player ratings Kyle Walker - 7 Revitalised back at his preferred right-back position, Walker performed well, dealing with Ivan Perisic effectively for most of the night. He made a few of his trademark driving runs down the right, looking dangerous whenever he forayed forward, and, in this system at least, offers more than Kieran Trippier. PA Croatia vs England - player ratings John Stones - 6 A couple of momentary lapses but nothing major of note from Stones’ performance. His burgeoning partnership with Maguire will presumably now have opportunity to grow in subsequent games; the pair complement each other well. Getty Images Croatia vs England - player ratings Harry Maguire - 6 Maguire looked slightly more uncomfortable tonight than in his recent England outings, but he made no major errors and was typically powerful in the air defensively. REUTERS Croatia vs England - player ratings Ben Chilwell - 7 A promising first start for Chilwell. Defended solidly and delivered a couple of good balls when getting forward infrequently. Chilwell has the talent to secure the left-back role for the long-term and has been afforded a golden opportunity with Luke Shaw and Danny Rose’s withdrawals - he’ll face a sterner test against Spain. Action Images via Reuters Croatia vs England - player ratings Jordan Henderson - 6 A busy performance with plenty of running but little impact on England going forward. Henderson will miss the Spain game after his early booking. PA Croatia vs England - player ratings Eric Dier - 6 Stout in defensive midfield and comfortable in his role, slipping between the centre-halves in possession to then look forward. But he and Henderson simply can’t play together - neither has anything in the way of creativity or incision going forward. Action Images via Reuters Croatia vs England - player ratings Ross Barkley - 6 A solid return to England action for Barkley who used the ball nicely and got forward well at times. There is more to come. Getty Images Croatia vs England - player ratings Raheem Sterling - 5 Another frustrating night. Failed to produce much in forward areas, though did play a nice little pass in for Rashford’s second big chance in quick succession. Booked for petulantly kicking the ball away and hooked soon after. He looks far less comfortable in an England shirt than in a Manchester City one. Action Images via Reuters Croatia vs England - player ratings Harry Kane - 4 Maybe his worst night in an England shirt. Kept anonymous by Vida and Lovren and appeared to provide little as a leader. He’ll be disappointed to not have hit the target with his header that rebounded off the bar. Action Images via Reuters Croatia vs England - player ratings Marcus Rashford - 6 Two poor missed chances, but Rashford was the most lively of England’s front three and looked the most likely scorer. Getty Images

As for Kane? What has changed with him?

It does still look as if he could do with some kind of rest. There’s just that slightly notable lagged nature to his play, compared to his forceful best.

Gareth Southgate did point to the fact he took one of his two main opportunities well, even if it was ruled offside. From the other, he hit the bar with a header.

“He had the chance he buried from just offside,” the manager argued after the 0-0 draw in Croatia. “Harry will get us goals. We were a real threat. The most important thing for the team is we create chances, look dangerous, and the players who didn’t score tonight will score.”

And there is a wider point here. For all the concerns about Kane going into the Premier League season, he still has a record of five in eight. That is more than one in two so it wouldn’t bother him too much, especially when you add in that supreme strike against Barcelona in the Champions League.

Should England be worried about Harry Kane's six-match goal drought? (Action Images via Reuters) (Reuters)

The latter was a moment he effectively manufactured himself, picking the ball up from wide and driving at goal with a fierce shot, but that is also relevant.

It does feel as if everything about Kane’s game is a battle at the moment. It just isn’t as coming as naturally to him as it usually does.

It is to his credit, then, that he has the record he does. That is testament to his persistence, to the mindset that has made him one of the best strikers in the world.

Harry Kane has not scored for England in his last six matches (Getty)

It’s just that this week might well illustrate one of the rare occasions where that mindset – that relentless persistence – becomes a negative. Kane will badly want to play away to Spain on Monday, with that recent international drought no doubt a factor.

Southgate has already said he will experiment and change things up, though, so why not with his main attacking threat?

Kane found the back of the net but saw his goal ruled out for offside (Action Images via Reuters)

It might ironically be the quickest way to end that drought, to just give Kane that bit of breathing space he seems to need.