England may have kept a clean sheet in their World Cup qualifying win against Scotland, but centre-back John Stones was still criticised for aspects of his performance.
The £50m Manchester City man made a vital block to deny Robert Snodgrass in the second-half and England haven't conceded in any of their four World Cup Qualifiers with Stones at the heart of the defence.
However, he allowed Grant Hanley a free header from a corner and his determination to play out from the back saw him give the ball away to Leigh Griffiths in the opening minutes and take risks around the edge of his own box.
It's become a familiar problem. While both Stones' former Everton boss Roberto Martinez and his current City manager Pep Guardiola have defended his style, no outfield player has made more errors leading directly to goals in the Premier League over the past three seasons.
Errors leading to goals - Premier League last three seasons (outfield players)
| Player | Errors leading to goals |
|---|---|
| John Stones | 5 |
| Aaron Cresswell | 5 |
| Phil Jagielka | 4 |
| Jonas Olsson | 4 |
| Dejan Lovren | 4 |
His approach and performance against Scotland was discussed on Gillette Soccer Saturday, and former Crystal Palace manager Iain Dowie says Stones must make defending his priority over ball-playing.
Dowie compared the 22-year-old with former England and Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand and suggested he should study Juventus and Italy's Leonardo Bonucci.
"He's got no defensive intensity," said the pundit. "I think he's got the ability to be a great defender, he's got great potential. But he's got to get some defensive intensity.
"Rio Ferdinand was the best we've seen at coming out from the back, he was an incredibly gifted footballer. But he had defensive intensity. He was a monster of an athlete, and so is Stones. But Stones has got to get that ability. He's got to love to defend. He wants to play more than he wants to defend. That's wrong.
"Gareth Southgate needs to get into him. Tell him to get touch-tight, tactile. Watch Bonucci - that's what he should do. If he watched a bit of Bonucci, Stones could be anything, he could be the best defender in the world.
"He needs to get a bit of Bonucci in his game - Bonucci's main issue is 'let's keep a clean sheet'."
Former England and Liverpool forward Paul Walsh agreed and said Stones' decision making must improve, explaining the defender must sometimes adapt his game in accordance with how the opposition are pressing.
"He's still got to learn," said Walsh. "You can't keep letting people make mistakes in qualifying games. At this level of football, it's too important.
"He's played enough now. He's had a meteoric rise to the top, everyone's bigged him up and he's a talented footballer. But he needs to make better decisions. Sometimes, even if you are John Stones, you have to put your foot through it.
"If teams come at us and play that high press, you maybe have to make the decision you can't have the ball nice and comfortable all the time.
He's a talented footballer. But he needs to make better decisions. Sometimes, even if you are John Stones, you have to put your foot through it.
Paul Walsh
"The more chances you take, making it tight across the back, there's so little margin for error. You have to play slightly different in my opinion."
Walsh went on to explain that a tactical switch to three at the back would provide Stones with greater protection and allow him to step into midfield with the ball.
Tony Cottee was also keen on that formation but argued Stones' errors are part and parcel of his development process and he should be encouraged, not criticised, for the way he's trying to play.
"You're pointing the finger at John Stones to a degree but you've got to encourage him to have the ball at the back," said the former England and West Ham striker.
"We've been crying out for someone to bring the ball out from the back. I want to see him do that more, not less.
"He's still a young player and he will make mistakes. His game's not going to change. He's at Man City and Guardiola has been encouraging him to play out from the back - if he hoofs it down the pitch for them he'll be out of the team.
"He's one of our best defenders. You just have to get the player alongside him right or the system right. Personally, I'd like England to play with three centre-halves, you've got [full-backs] Kyle Walker and Danny Rose who can bomb on.
"As a player you've got to get the balance right. You need to be able to come out with it at the back but you also need to defend. But remember, he's a young kid."
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