Maguire has guile to break the bank

I SAID last week that England’s back three aren’t as good defenders as the back three I had for England in 1998, which included Gareth Southgate. But they can play better and Harry Maguire got the opportunity to do that the most. What he’s doing is exactly the role I had in mind for Rio Ferdinand. But because Rio always played in a 4-4-2 for England, he never got that freedom. So it was a joy finally to see an England defender play in the way Maguire (right) did against Tunisia. In the second half, when it got tight, he went past midfielders with the ball. England have been crying out for a defender like that. Now we have two, with John Stones occasionally getting that opportunity as well. I would actually play Stones on the right side of the three rather than centrally. With a lone striker, it’s the outside centre halves who get the chance to push on. And Stones can. But Maguire did it really well and opened up the game. When the opposition bank up in a 45-1, every midfield and attacking player is neutralised. Often, the only way of achieving numerical superiority is by getting your centre halves to go past their man. That disrupts the opposition’s defensive plans. If that defender can then exchange a quick pass and go past another midfielder, you can have a real chance. The key is not simply the defender bringing the ball out. He has to take someone out of the game. It’s no good a defender doing that if his delivery is poor, or if he just gives it to the wing back, who gives it back while the opposition have time to bank up again. Maguire can deliver that kind of incisive quality. As can Stones. Maguire made a couple of errors but that is a price worth paying for the extra creativity.