Stones sets tone with calm and style
Defender’s intelligent performance showed how far this England side have progressed
FOOTBALL NEWS CORRESPONDENT
It wasn’t quite beauty and the beast at either end of the Spartak Stadium pitch, but the contrasting playing styles of John Stones and Yerry Mina told a story of how this England team are changing stereotypes. Stones, the ball-playing centreback, oozed calm up against Radamel Falcao and a wall of Colombian noise. Mina, no less assured, was the warrior, the man mountain, his country’s hero.
How refreshing it was to see an England team in the knockout stages of a major tournament keeping the ball better, passing with confidence and creating more spaces than the opposition – let alone winning a penalty shoot-out.
This all started at the back for Gareth Southgate’s side, with Stones setting the tone. In an intimidating atmosphere, the Manchester City man made sure those around him felt comfortable early in the game by passing forwards, sideways and backwards in a bid to give everyone a touch.
Mina’s approach was the opposite. He was quickly into the backs of Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, wanting to dominate with his physique rather than his skill – just as he did for his last-gasp equaliser.
The 23-year-old can, of course, play – you do not get signed by Barcelona if you cannot – but his job for Colombia was to try to unsettle the opposition and win his duels.
England’s threat at set-pieces was evident through the group stages and Mina quickly showed he was happy to go head-to-head with Harry Maguire in a battle that not too many defenders would fancy.
That is not to say Kieran Trippier’s delivery was completely nullified, as he managed to find Kane with one cross that the striker, at full stretch, headed on to the top of the net. Mina, though, was often impossible to pass. When Sterling wriggled around Tottenham Hotspur’s Davinson Sanchez, he then bounced off the 6ft 5in colossus and Colombia broke.
Stones was no less effective with his defending, particularly when he reacted quickly to intercept after a Juan Cuadrado shot had deflected into the path of Falcao. But it was his dedication to keeping the ball and finding his team-mates that really stood out. England hearts skipped a beat when he made a short pass to Dele Alli on the edge of his own area, but Southgate’s team are good enough to play their way out of trouble these days.
Former England defender Terry Butcher was pitchside in his role as a broadcaster and the image of him wearing a blood-soaked bandage and shirt from 1989 remains one of the country’s most iconic.
Of Southgate’s class of 2018, Maguire is probably the strongest, but he too can prioritise finesse over fight. He attempted to set up one attack by carrying the ball at least 40 yards and finding Kane.
Maguire mixed it up early in the second half to leave the dangerous Juan Quintero on his backside. Sanchez then did brilliantly to get to an Ashley Young free-kick before the Leicester City man.
Colombia paid the price for their physical approach when Carlos Sanchez gave away the penalty from which Kane scored, but England needed cool heads as their opponents became more cynical.
Calm was restored by Stones. When Kyle Walker passed to him, the 24-year-old put his foot on the ball, passed it sideways, received it back and went forwards once his team-mates had taken a breath. It was exceptionally intelligent.
It was too much for substitute Carlos Bacca to cope with as he shoved Stones out of frustration and was booked by referee Mark Geiger, who, like a supply teacher put in charge of an unruly class, was struggling to keep control.
Before then, Falcao had also been shown yellow for protesting. The former Manchester United and Chelsea forward had given Stones a difficult night for Monaco in the Champions League 16 months ago. Falcao scored two away goals that were telling in the tie against City, but Stones had the measure of him and the rest of the Colombia attackers for 90 minutes last night.
The tie could have been killed if Geiger had listened to England’s appeals for a second penalty when Jesse Lingard claimed he was tripped by Davinson Sanchez.
Mina’s influence had not been so obvious during the second period, but he rose over Maguire when it mattered in stoppage time to score his third goal in three World Cup games.
There was a wobble in the first half of extra time as passes started to go astray, but England recovered and withstood the pressure of penalties. This is no longer same old, same old.
Harry Maguire is probably the strongest, but he too can prioritise finesse over fight