Football

Three Lions star ‘insulted’ by weak link remarks

While they are spoilt for choice in the wingback department, England have defensive issues to overcome more centrally in Qatar. Harry Maguire has struggled for minutes at Old Trafford this season, while Tottenham’s Eric Dier has yet to earn Gareth Southgate’s complete confidence. 

John Stones

Moving further down the ranks, the problems seem to become more severe. Conor Coady has been struggling at Everton this season and he enters the tournament on the back of a 3-0 hammering at Bournemouth. Ben White has impressed at Arsenal but does not have the international experience required for a World Cup assault. 

John Stones is the only player that can be seen as a certainty to start and he has mostly played as a right-back for Manchester City this season. The 28-year-old was an integral part of the defence that kept five clean sheets at Euro 2020 as England made their way to the final. 

Insulted by negativity

For a team that looks to play an attacking brand of football to have so many holes in their defence is a worrying sight. However, there is confusion about who will be starting alongside him against Iran. 

Stones has hit out at critics who have questioned the quality of England’s defence. The former Everton defender opined that players of his ilk do not forget the basics and know when to turn up when the going gets tough.

He admitted that he felt insulted by the insinuations and reminded the detractors about the job his colleagues and himself have performed for the Three Lions in the last two international competitions.

“I am a bit insulted, to be fair,” Stones told the Sun. “Sometimes we forget about what players have done in the past — and what they have done in big-game scenarios — and we focus on the negative.

“You don’t lose quality or class and big-game players turn up, which as an England squad we have done over the past five years, especially in the last World Cup and Euros.”

Three Lions can relive past heroics

England enters the 2022 World Cup at their lowest ebb in recent years. The Three Lions were humbled in the UEFA Nations League, failing to register a single win in their six group fixtures. 

Stones does not believe England’s Nations League nightmare will impact their performances at the 2022 World Cup, however. He reflected on their heroics during Euro 2020 where they did not concede a single goal from open play throughout the competition. 

The 59-time capped international is of the belief that this current squad can replicate their prior success and attributes it to their big-game exposure.

“Euro 2020 was incredible from that aspect, of not conceding goals,’ the Man City defender added. “And you will have heard it for years but the top teams who are successful keep clean sheets in tournaments — that is the basic platform for your team.

“…We had something you can’t teach or train. We were just on the same page with our mentality. I am excited and positive for us to do that again.”

England’s contingent has arrived in Qatar, five days prior to their Group B opener against Iran. Southgate’s men will have to acclimatize to the Gulf nations’ climate before the quick turnaround time of three matches in nine days. 


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