Coleman keeping Wales waiting
1. 2. 3. 4. THE performance of John Stones against Brazil was as eloquent as any of the thousands of words that have been said of him.
Faced by Neymar, Gabriel Jesus and Philippe Coutinho alongside the ludicrously under-developed Joe
Gomez and Harry Maguire, he inspired, cajoled, organised and defended in one of the most mature performances of his career. And this coming just four days after doing much the same against the world’s best team, Germany.
“I think my performances speak for themselves really,” Stones said afterwards. “I’ve done my talking out there, wanted to improve.
“You can’t argue with two clean sheets against two top teams. I’m proud to say we came off with a clean sheet and all the other lads are as well.
“It’s about having a look at yourself, looking where you can improve and not shying away from where you’ve gone wrong. And that’s what drives you to be a better player.”
Stones has very much done his growing up in the limelight following his £3.5 million move from Barnsley to Everton in January 2013. It has not always been easy.
Jamie Carragher, an Evertonian from birth, was one of Stones’ fiercest critics, leaping on him in January 2016 for a mistake against Swansea. “He’s got to cut that out,” he shrieked on Sky television. “Just pass it, don’t be too cocky and try to take someone REPORTS on. It’s not playing good football from the back, it’s being too cocky. But is he getting that from the manager?”
The manager in question was Roberto Martinez, and when he met up with the former Liverpool defender three months later, the Spaniard had a simple request.
“You see where he is now, having played almost 80 games in the Premier League,” said Martinez. “He is only 21. The experience he has had this season is going to make him the player he can be. He has had too much scrutiny. Maybe we do it with certain English players. They deserve a bit of space and they should be left alone a little bit until they make 150 or 200 senior games.”
Fast-forward to this week and Stones has now played 115 games in the Premier League. Add on 13 Champions League appearances and 22 caps for England and it turns out that his emphatic display against Brazil was indeed match number 150.
Martinez had inherited Stones as Everton’s fourth-choice right-back but he understood, strangely better than Carragher, that being centreback is not a young man’s job.
For precisely the same reason, Stones is determined to try to protect the younger charges he has found alongside him this week.
“From my experiences, and I’m still reasonably young, I try to pass it on to the young lads and give them a few words,” he said. “Like for Joe
SOUTHGATE’S PLAN FOR RUSSIA MATTHEW DUNN has a stab at what his squad might be (First XI in capitals; names in brackets set to miss out).
GOALKEEPER:
1 JOE HART 2 Jack Butland 3 Jordan Pickford (4 Tom Heaton)
RIGHT WING-BACK:
1 KIERAN TRIPPIER 2 Kyle Walker (3 Ashley Young)
RIGHT CENTRE-BACK:
1 PHIL JONES 2 Joe Gomez (3 Ben Gibson)
MIDDLE CENTRE-BACK:
1 JOHN STONES 2 Michael Keane (3 Chris Smalling)
LEFT CENTRE-BACK:
1 GARY CAHILL 2 Harry Maguire (3 Phil Jagielka)
LEFT WING-BACK:
1 DANNY ROSE 2 Ryan Bertrand (3 Luke Shaw 4 Aaron Cresswell)
Gomez – it’s short and simple, really. You don’t want to flood his brain for when he’s coming out on the pitch.
“That’s what I found out when I was growing up, playing in big games. I didn’t want to be over-run and have too much information.”
Just getting on with it has certainly served him well and England manager Gareth Southgate singled out the Manchester City defender for special praise after the Brazil game on Tuesday.
“In the two games, John has really shown his defensive attributes,” he said. “He’s looked really mature, controlled the line and taken pride in his defending as well as being calm in possession. That’s a significant step for him.”
There had been an embarrassing moment at St George’s Park before the Germany game when a journalist had asked understandably whether the fact that Stones was alongside him at the top table in the press conference meant it was his turn to wear the captain’s armband.
“No, no, no,” said Southgate, mortified, putting his hands on Stones’ broad shoulders. “I’m sorry John, you’re not captain.”
But then Stones, practical as ever, is more than happy to lead from the back for a change.
“Eric [Dier] has been the captain for two games now but I keep saying it: everyone on the pitch has got a role to play being a leader,” he said.
“You get tired and sometimes can’t get your words out when it matters. But as long as you’re giving information to everyone, defenders can see all the pitch and we have got to talk to everyone.”
Everybody but the critics, that is. RIGHT MIDFIELD:
1 DELE ALLI 2 Ruben Loftus-Cheek (3 Jesse Lingard 4 Jack Wilshere)
CENTRAL MIDFIELD:
1 JORDAN HENDERSON 2 Eric Dier (3 Jake Livermore 4 Danny Drinkwater)
LEFT MIDFIELD:
1 ADAM LALLANA 2 Harry Winks (3 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 4 Ross Barkley)
RIGHT STRIKER:
1 HARRY KANE 2 Jamie Vardy (3 Daniel Sturridge 4 Theo Walcott)
LEFT STRIKER:
1 MARCUS RASHFORD 2 Raheem Sterling (3 Danny Welbeck 4 Tammy Abraham)
CHRIS COLEMAN delivered what could prove to be a heartfelt farewell to his Wales players after their 1-1 draw with Panama.
He may have taken charge of his final match as manager, with talks over his future set to resume with the FAW.
The fans made it clear they want him to stay as they chanted his name during Tuesday’s game but Coleman admits his future is in the balance.
“I said if this is my last experience with them, they have been a pleasure. We have been through a lot,” he said.
“I’m sitting here six years later with incredible experiences, bonds and friendships that will never be broken. It’s all down to the players, an incredible bunch and they’ll keep achieving because they are all at a good age.
“There’s still a little hangover because we never got to the play-offs and we’re not going to Russia. That will burn for a while, but it will subside.”
Coleman, 47, had called for the FAW to invest in facilities if he was to stay and yesterday the governing body agreed to plough £500,000 into upgrades at their Hensol resort.
He also wants full-time contracts for his staff if he is to take on the qualifying campaign for Euro 2020.
But Coleman admits he would like to sample the Champions League before his career is over.
He added: “There are only two scenarios, I will either be here or not. Things come to an end. The Champions League is something I’d like to sample. But there are a handful of managers who can choose their job, I’m not one. But I’m ambitious.”