Tag Archives: john stones

For all of the talk of “football coming home” this month, it will instead be lining out in the streets of Paris or Zagreb after this weekend. England’s dream, which had gathered momentum and volume exponentially over the last couple of weeks, was shattered into a million pieces as giddy euphoria gave way to a hefty dose of realism. Croatia …

John Stones says Colombia were the “dirtiest team” he has ever faced and is glad England’s new-found streetwise streak helped knock the South Americans out of the World Cup. A bad-tempered last-16 clash ended 1-1 in Moscow on Tuesday before England won on penalties for the first time ever at a World Cup to reach the quarter-finals. Harry Kane opened …

England set up a World Cup Group G showdown with Belgium thanks to a commanding 6-1 victory over Panama on Sunday. Gareth Southgate’s men were looking to build on that last-gasp 2-1 win against Tunisia last Monday, but didn’t even need to be at their best here as they had little resistance from a Panama side that ran out of …

A look at how England could line up and how far they will go at this Summer's World Cup

The side are in contention in all four competitions this season and the reality is if they perform to the standard they have all season, they can win it all.

Manchester City are dashing out of sight in the Premier League title race this season, having won every game besides two draws so far.  However, in today’s FA Cup third round tie at home to Burnley they fell behind to a first half Ashley Barnes strike. City have already lost once this season, although it was in the Champions League …

This summer’s transfer window has been one of the most high profile in recent times and will arguably be remembered more for the deals that weren’t done than those that were (Alexis Sanchez, Philippe Coutinho, Thomas Lemar, Virgil van Dijk etc.). However, the transactions that weren’t made should not completely overshadow the arrival of some fantastic players to the Premier League …

The countdown to the new Premier League season is well and truly on with Arsenal set to kick off proceedings against Leicester City on Friday evening. Can Chelsea avoid a repeat of their 2015/16 defence of their title when then manager Jose Mourinho was unemployed by Christmas and the champions eventually finished in tenth place? All eyes too will be …

Kyle Walker became the most expensive defender of all time last week when he completed a £50m+ move from Tottenham to Manchester City. While an England international moving for a high fee shouldn’t really be out of the norm (albeit between two Premier League title rivals), the fact that Walker is now the most expensive defender of all time has …

Virgil Van Dijk has had an interesting summer already. For all intents and purposes, he looked assured of a move to Liverpool only for it ultimately to be scuppered by allegations of having been ‘tapped’ up. The one aspect of that particular saga to not fade into oblivion is the consensus that he is worth spending money on. A lot …

Gareth Southgate has included a few surprise additions in his first England squad since becoming the full-time boss, for games against Germany and Lithuania later this month. Here we look at who was picked in each position, and who missed out on this occasion. Goalkeepers Southgate has decided not to mess around too much in the goalkeeper department. Joe Hart and …

With Gareth Southgate due to name his England squad for games against Germany and Lithuania on Thursday (March 16), many fans and critics will have decided who they do and don’t want to see selected. Here, we will look at the players who should be selected based on performances this season. Using Squawka, we have picked a starting XI to …

It has grown increasingly apparent over the last few years in the top leagues around Europe, that there is a lack of defensive culpability among top football teams around the continent. There has been a systemic failure on the part of coaches to set their teams up in a way which ensures defensive solidity. The fact remains that the impact of …

In the past, the English media have been guilty of over-hyping a number of their country’s players. Nearly every young Englishman touted with an international call-up is either the next Gascoigne or Rooney but not many live up to the expectation. This XI gives just a few of the many Englishmen over-hyped by their media. Although some of these players …

Pep Guardiola’s difficult first season in the Premier League continued on Sunday as his Manchester City side were taken apart 4-0 by Everton at Goodison Park. Man City went into this match looking to regain their place in the top four having slipped to fifth on Saturday, but instead were sent home with their tails between their legs as Ronald …

Every season, Manchester City invest in a new centre-half, without ever seemingly strengthening their defence. After the 3-1 home loss to Chelsea, the cheque book could well come out again in January. The Chelsea defeat was somewhat flattering to the visitors, considering Kevin De Bruyne missed an open goal in the second half to put City 2-0 ahead. However, it …

As usual, Roy Keane was on top form in his punditry role for ITV’s Champions League highlights. The Ireland assistant manager’s refusal to sugarcoat his opinions on what he perceives to be poor performances have made the Wednesday night programme compelling viewing, often rendering his co-pundits and host Mark Pougatch speechless. As usual, Keane pulled no punches when analysing Arsenal …

‘Get rid of it’ is a common cry in football matches of all levels across Britain and Ireland, and it’s the cry that now accompanies Manchester City and England’s John Stones around the pitch too.  England’s recent 3-0 win over Scotland was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggested with many blaming Stones for Scotland’s chances. This is one of …