England beat Croatia in their opening World Cup game, but despite dominating for the second half 45 minutes, Gary Neville suggested they needed to make changes to their defense for the next match.
Gary Neville hints at changes ahead of England’s next World Cup appearance (Image: Rio Presents)
Gary Neville has admitted he will make two changes to England’s backline to deal with the Ghanaian threat, and John Stones will not be among them.
The Three Lions got the World Cup off to an ideal start with a 4-2 win over Croatia on Wednesday night, but it wasn’t a perfect night by any means. England were caught up twice in the first half, but their impressive team talk turned the tide in their favor.
Croatia’s two goals highlighted their defensive issues, but Neville admitted they may need to make adjustments to ensure they are ready for next week’s game against Ghana. Stones had an injury-plagued season, but still earned his place as a centre-half alongside Ezri Konsa.
Neville would rather see Marc Guehi slot into the heart of the defence, and has indicated he would select Jed Spence due to his athleticism and attacking personality.
He told Sky Sports: “I’m hoping for a change. Ghana have Antoine Semenyo, Brandon Thomas-Asante, players who can play one-on-one and are mobile. So I think it makes sense for Guehi to come in, and probably Jed Spence as well.”
“I thought Spence was great when he played against Croatia. I don’t think John Stones will play every game, every three or four days.”
“Stones has very good experience and I think there’s a place for him in the tournament, and I think that was the case last night, but I think Guehi could come in because he’s a little more capable of one-on-one situations and has the physicality of the Ghanaian running.”
“I think Spence is a player who will play an important role again in this competition, whether it’s at right-back or left-back, because I think he’s like Hill when he defends. He’s very aggressive in what he does and has great tenacity.”
John Stones is one of three centre-halves to start for England (Image: Getty Images)
Tuchel is looking forward to success in major competitions, and if England can beat Ghana, they will almost certainly finish top of their group. The German has won particular praise for the tweaks he made at half-time in Dallas, which Neville suggested led to the team’s best performance to date.
“Obviously the win is the most important thing, but I think it was a good night for him, especially after halftime,” he said. “Anthony Barry’s (England assistant manager) interview at half-time was very punchy and I think they were obviously not happy with what happened in the first half. They probably lacked a little bit of control and got away from their game plan.
“England’s play in the first 10 to 15 minutes of the second half was probably the best 10 to 15 minutes of any team I’ve ever seen in the tournament.”
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