John Stones

Coauthored by Seth Johnson and Stephen Kirchner

Obtained from Google search “John Stones,” labeled for noncommercial reuse

Height: 188 cm

Weight: 70 kg

Senior Experience: 2011-present

Caps: 8

Club: Everton (English Premier League)

Season Statistics: 0 Goals; 0 Assists; 53 Tackles

Role and Projected Tournament Outlook:

At first look, Stones appears the classic center back ready to take on national responsibility for England. With a shaky back line, several months ago it appeared that the starting left-side center back role for England was Stones’ to lose. Given that England’s best pairing at the back for years was Cahill and John Terry, Stones seemed a natural to slide into this Golden Generation player’s slot. This was months ago, though, and now Stones is on the outside looking in to the starting XI.

Stones has had a shaky season, with little consistency in the back and injury dogging his play (Markham, Daily Mail). He’s also seen high profile starts for the English side flame out in excruciating fashion, most notably against Holland, where his on ball gaffe led to a penalty kick for the Dutch side (Sam Wallace, Telegraph). Because of this, Stones has seen the critique of his play rise dramatically, especially after being subject to a 30 million pound transfer request from Chelsea. While his manager at Everton, Roberto Martinez has urged caution with the 21 year old, the fact of the matter is that Hodgson is weak at his position (Markham, Mail). While some have suggested the recall of John Terry, retired from international play for 4 years (Lawton, Mail), the reality is that this is unlikely for Hodgson, and he must make do with a combination of Cahill, Jagielka, Smalling and Stones. Recent form has suggested that Stones will ride the bench, but his on ball attacking vision out of the back might be useful to spring the Three Lions on the counter attack, where much of the success with Hodgson’s striking lineup might be had. While Hodgson might elect to play Stones off the bench, there is no denying that England’s future at the center back position rides with Stones, who must take steps forward if England’s back line is going to make progress to mirror its attacking third.

How to cite this article: “John Stones” Written by Seth Johnson and Stephen Kirchner (2016), European Cup 2016 Guide, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/european-cup-2016-guide/english-national-team/key-substitutes/john-stones-2/ (accessed on (date)).