WORLD CUP QUALIFIER: THE VERDICT STICKS AND
Southgate blasted his young England star... but will never tell him to change Dier only wanted full English
GARETH SOUTHGATE has admitted he gave John Stones a rocket against Scotland – but he vowed to continue gambling with the young defender.
And the interim England boss predicted Stones could be as good as Barcelona superstar Gerard Pique or Bayern Munich’s Mats Hummels – if he learns the fine line between bravery and stupidity.
Southgate takes charge of the final game of his four- match audition against Spain at Wembley on Tuesday.
Risky
And not for the first time, Manchester City’s £50million defender Stones is once again in the spotlight for his risky playing style.
England were lucky to escape against Scotland on Friday when Stones was caught in possession and goalkeeper Joe Hart was forced to save a tame effort from James Forrest.
Southgate is aware that against Spain the outcome could be a lot more costly – and revealed he rollicked Stones at half-time against Scotland.
He said: “For years we have talked about not being able to play out from the back and if we are going to progress we have to be different and encourage players like John Stones.
“But he also knows what I think of some of the things he did.”
Like City chief Pep Guardiola, he is determined to encourage the 22-year-old in the hope he develops into a top star like Spain’s Pique.
”I believe John has the technical ability,” said Southgate. “I think it comes down to decision-making and positioning, and a recognition of when to really commit to it and when to play past the first press.
“At times we want bravery but not stupidity. And that is the balance we have to find.
“I think what we have to remember is that John is 22 and in central defensive terms that is nothing.
“If we want a Mats Hummels or a Gerard Pique we have to encourage him. I can remember managing Middlesbrough against Pique when he was 22 and he played for Manchester United.
“Back then he wasn’t the all-round real deal but he developed into that. And I think John has got the perfect manager to work with in Pep Guardiola, who will hone those skills.
Blunder
“We have players that can play from the back and I want to encourage that. We can do it better than we did against Scotland.”
Like many of Stone’s critics, Southgate believes one day the defender may blunder badly in an England shirt and give away a goal – as he did for City against Southampton recently when Nathan Redmond scored at the Etihad.
That is why he insists Stones must learn to understand the balance between confidence and recklessness if he is to be one of the world’s best.
But Southgate is committed to giving Stones – and his other stars – the li licence to play. “Anyone who has seen the U21s play knows how we believe is the right way too go forward,” he added.
“Against Scotland I wanted us to be a team that played with c confidence and was prepared to use the ball even though it was a very intense and difficult atmosphere and we did that.”
Asked if he will take those risks against Spain, Southgate said: “I need to study now a bit more. For sure they will press us and do that very well so we have to be savvier in how we play.
“But I will worry about that to tomorrow!” ENGLAND’S Euro 2016 campaign was a disaster, but for Eric Dier watching Portugal lift the trophy was a case of “here’s what you could have won” – literally.
The Spurs star’s formative years were spent at Sporting Lisbon’s academy after moving to Portugal with his parents aged seven.
Dier (left) could even have played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in the final, having had the chance to become a Portugal international on residency grounds before England stepped in five years ago.
He said: “Never once did I think I should be playing for Portugal.
“My parents are English, I was born in England, my grandparents are English and I’m English.
“Portuguese officials did ask me about playing for them once. They had spoken to Sporting about it, but nothing really came of it.”