JOHN STONES handed England another big injury scare in defence.
The centre-back went off at half-time in Friday’s 1-0 Wembley defeat against Iceland ahead of Euro 2024.
Fans reacted with despair and disbelief after the Manchester City hero was replaced by Ezri Konsa.
Three Lions’ chief Gareth Southgate attempted to quell fears afterwards.
He said: “We think he’s probably OK but we didn’t want to take
chances given what’s coming up.”
But fellow central defender Harry Maguire missed the cut for Southgate’s 26-man squad 24 hours earlier due to his calf problem.
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And Lewis Dunk was forced to sit out Friday’s friendly as the Brighton skipper is still a week off full fitness.
Meanwhile, left-back Luke Shaw will also be sidelined from main action for several more days.
England open their Euros bid against Serbia a week on Sunday.
And one supporter posted: “If John Stones is injured as well, we may as well not even go.”
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A reporter for Channel 4, who broadcast the match live, suggested the 30-year-old “looked to be walking ok in the tunnel”.
But the last thing Southgate needed was another injury niggle.
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Stones appeared to get hurt when he was hauled to the ground in an ungainly tangle with Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson.
And in fact he was one of the England defenders slightly exposed when the same Iceland winger stole inside to drill the visitors’ surprise winner on 12 minutes.
A laboured Three Lions’ display only got more disjointed as the second-half replacements racked up, ending in a tame loss.
Southgate has put Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah on standby at the back.
Quansah was one of seven players omitted on Thursday when England’s squad was pruned from 33 to its final size for the Euros.
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It certainly worked in Russia at the 2018 World Cup. And due to various issues with the defence – as illustrated in this dismal and embarrassing performance at Wembley – Southgate needs to look at playing with five at the back.
We can talk all night about England’s power-packed attack and how they should definitely be getting out the cigars in Berlin on July 14.
Yet there is now a genuine cause for panic as we are now just eight days away from the first game against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen and the defence is a total mess.
England have kept just two clean sheets in the last seven games. If Southgate’s team are to play seven games at Germany – and that would mean an appearance in the final – there must be a bloody great improvement.
The Three Lions will get out of their group because it is virtually impossible not to. But if England do not improve, they will end up getting knocked out in the last 16, like they did against Iceland in Euro 2016.
Speaking at Middlesbrough’s training ground on Sunday, Southgate was asked about whether he has thought about a back five which in Russia, saw his team reach the semi-finals.
He said: “We haven’t as yet. Clearly we could. We know all the strengths and weaknesses of doing that. It’s interesting to read about it being proposed, because I think we were pretty much killed for doing it for quite a long period.
“But given our tactical flexibility, we’d look at everything and it would be silly to rule something out. You can play a three in different ways.
“You build with a three now anyway, so some aspects of our game could have a three involved.
“But for me, it’s less about shoehorning players into the team, it’s about having the best team and players to come into it, because you need that at tournaments.”
It was only after the World Cup in 2018 that Southgate revealed the reason why he played with three central defenders. This was because he was worried about the inexperience of Harry Maguire who had played just five times before going to Russia.
Due to Maguire’s omission from the squad due to his fitness, Marc Guehi will take his position and this was only his 11th cap.
Guehi was England’s best defender but against better opposition in a more pressured environment, he will be tested more. Against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he did not play particularly well.
Yet last night, John Stones – having started just 12 Premier League games for Manchester City in his worst season for the club – really struggled before being replaced by Ezri Konsa at half-time.
It did not help that Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson fell on him early on but Stones did not cover himself in glory when the same Icelandic player scored the winner.
Luke Shaw, sidelined since February with a thigh injury, will not be fit until the second game at the earliest.
And with Ben Chilwell not even making the provisional 33, Southgate currently only has right-footed defenders.
Kyle Walker is arguably the best right-back in Europe but his form dipped in the last two months of the season for Manchester City.
He was caught out for the first goal as he appeared to have left his turbo boosters at Tottenham’s training ground. He then blamed Phil Foden for not covering properly.
After making his mass changes for the final quarter, England’s back four was Trent Alexander-Arnold, Konsa, Guehi and Joe Gomez. That is not a defence you would want to see in the latter stages
So, Southgate needs to look at having a back three with Walker switching into the central three like he did in Russia, alongside Stones and Guehi.
Trent Alexander-Arnold would be more comfortable at right-wing back with Trippier on the other side before the return of Shaw.
With a five-man defence, Southgate would partner Declan Rice with Kobbie Mainoo or Adam Wharton but you would lose an offensive player.
Bukayo Saka would have to make way and you would have Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden as the offensive midfielders playing behind Harry Kane.
Southgate also played with a back five against Italy in the final of Euro 2020 although since then, has discarded it.
But regardless, if he sticks with a back four, he will want his players to do the basics better. And then, we can think about maybe winning a match in the last 16.
As for reaching the final, let’s put that one on the back-burner.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
