‘Clever’ England believes in itself

ENGLAND centre-half John Stones insists the England players are not cheats following criticism of their tactics during their shootout triumph over Colombia.

Stones — who branded Colombia the “dirtiest” team he had ever faced — defended England’s approach in the face of comments from Jose Mourinho and Diego Maradona suggesting Gareth Southgate used underhand tactics against the South Americans.

England was awarded a penalty on Tuesday when Carlos Sanchez was adjudged to have fouled Harry Kane, leaving the Colombians furious.

But Stones is adamant his team is staying within the rules.

“I say it’s clever. I think it is about having a great footballing brain and knowing when to do that without being called a cheat or diver,” he said.

“Being clever and buying a smart foul is something that we’ve got as a team and it can help us through the tournament.”

Colombia tried to unsettle England through various methods of gamesmanship and Stones said some of its antics were the worst he had encountered.

“They are probably the dirtiest team I’ve ever come up against,’’ he said.

“I think the best thing for us was to beat them at football. We stuck to our game plan and never got into the brawl that they wanted.”

Who would have thought England would be branded masters of football’s dark arts? Well, times are changing.

England is a new team. One that is streetwise and savvy, full of guile and know-how. Some do not like it, clinging on to the belief that the England team should be holier than thou. But fans should like it because, believe it or not, that is how you win matches that are too tight to call.

Southgate knows it. When asked whether his players had dived against the South Americans, the England manager’s reply was telling.

“In terms of our team, maybe we’re getting a bit smarter. Maybe we’re playing our game more by the rules the rest of the world are playing,” he said.

In short, two can play at that game. England is no longer the gallant loser but finally a team that has the capacity to win at all costs.

If Sweden thinks it will face a young England side stifled by naivety in Samara then it is in for quite a shock.