England’s defense has been questionable throughout the World Cup, but the Three Lions’ rearguard showed resoluteness in the second half in a hard-fought 3-2 win over Mexico
John Stones took inspiration from England’s bench in Mexico
John Stones claims England’s heroic defending silenced their critics after they survived Mexico’s relentless barrage in the closing stages. Thomas Tuchel’s team have all embraced the concept of substitutes being ‘finishers’, but no one could have imagined that Stones, Dan Byrne and Jed Spence would be the players to fill that role following Jarrell Quansah’s red card.
Stones, who still doesn’t want to think about the quarter-final penalty shootout against Erling Haaland in Miami, was asked if England’s backline had finally proved the doubters wrong, and answered defiantly: “Absolutely and I think deep down. Dan came on, Jed came on, I came on and Ezri (Konsa) moved down to right-back.”
“I mean, it’s not an easy place to be. Statistically, I think they’ve done very well at home. With 10 fewer players, that period where we had to absorb a lot of pressure and fight really hard, that was really pleasing for me, and being able to see reactions like blocks and saves was a small victory for us as defenders.”
“It creates a real winning mentality and atmosphere and lifts everyone up. I’m really happy for the players who came out and had such an impact.”
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England’s defense will need to reach a new level of solidity – they have yet to concede two goals against the Aztecs – if they are to keep a rampaging Haaland at bay. The Manchester City phenomenon happened twice on Sunday to beat Brazil and take his tally of World Cup goals to seven, one ahead of Harry Kane.
Stones is aware of the scale of the task ahead, but insists it is one that England will relish. He replied: “In fairness, I was just told that I was trying to enjoy the victory!
“But yeah, they’re also great players and we have great, great respect for them as a team. We saw the result earlier today, they knocked out Brazil, and that’s its own thing, and we’re definitely going to approach the game as we do every game.”
“I think you’ve heard me say it many times before, but just treat everyone with the same respect and know what they have. Especially with Erling, they had a great defensive performance as well. I think it’s a game where we can get back on track in the next few days and we’re looking forward to it, but tonight was a special night and I think we overcame a big hurdle.”
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John Stones is pushing to start against Norway (Image: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Stones provided a timely reminder of his quality in an action-packed 44-minute cameo, with tackles, blocks and clearances. Despite his perfect record, he couldn’t hide his disappointment at not playing recently.
He said, “I’ve been ready since the beginning of the year, but I didn’t have the chance. That’s the reality. And I always try to be as positive as possible and put myself in the best condition.”
“I feel great. I’m here to do what I did tonight. Like any player, it’s frustrating when they want to play and they don’t play. I think the mentality of the players who don’t do that is incredible. That’s rare in the tournament, you know.”
“Being away from my family, training every day, not being able to play as much as I would like. And we all want to help and we all have the same goal in mind, which is to get to the finals and see where we go. But I feel great and I love helping and performing like I did tonight.”
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