Derby rivals but Stones has the back of under-fire Maguire as City & United stars combine with England

Defenders compete against one another at club levelPaired together on an international stagePreparing for another shot at global glory in Qatar

WHAT HAPPENED? Any domestic disputes are being put to one side as attention shifts to the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar, with Gareth Southgate having pieced together a 26-man group that he is preparing to send into battle. Stones and Maguire form part of those plans, having previously helped the Three Lions to the last four of the 2018 World Cup and final of Euro 2020, with two experienced performers prepared to look out for one another after attracting plenty of criticism as individuals.

WHAT THEY SAID: City centre-half Stones has said of working with Maguire again – with the United captain having struggled for form and fitness in the current campaign: When I look at Harry, I see a partner. Through all our experiences he’s had my back and I’ve had his. We’ve had so many games together, we’ve made a bond and a partnership together. We know what the other person is going to do and how we work best together. It clicks. Whatever team or whatever system Gareth decides, if it’s me and Harry we will use those bonds again. They are too strong to be broken by game time, form, whatever it is. That kind of goes out the window when these moments hit.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Questions have been asked of whether Maguire should be a regular for England in Qatar, but Stones feels any suggestion that the Three Lions are weak at the back falls well wide of the mark. He added: “I am a bit insulted, to be fair. Maybe in the respect that some of the players aren’t playing so regularly or have had injuries perhaps. Sometimes we forget about what players have done in the past — and what they have done in big-game scenarios — and we focus on the negative. You don’t lose quality or class and big-game players turn up, which as an England squad we have done over the past five years especially in the last World Cup and Euros.”

IN THREE PHOTOS:

WHAT NEXT? England, who are due to open their World Cup campaign against Iran on November 21, also have Ben White, Eric Dier and Conor Coady at their disposal when it comes to centre-half options in another shot at savouring global glory and bringing 56 years of international heartache to a close.

Related Post
Share
Published by

Recent Posts

“Never expected a very easy run” – Gautam Gambhir reflects on his tenure as coach after IND vs NZ 2024 Test series defeat

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted that he never expected a very easy run… Read More

October 31, 2024

Probably has a lot to do with playing on flat wickets in T20 – Gautam Gambhir on decline of good defensive technique in Test cricket

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir feels T20 cricket has led to the downfall of a… Read More

October 31, 2024

India needs Mumbai Test win before Australia tour – Gautam Gambhir

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir feels the Rohit Sharma-led team desperately needs to win the… Read More

October 31, 2024

I cannot say just the batters have let us down – Gautam Gambhir feels everyone should take responsibility for series loss against New Zealand

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to blame the batters after the team’s 2-0 series… Read More

October 31, 2024

It was insane – Bronny James after scoring his first NBA bucket

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James was on cloud nine after he managed to score… Read More

October 31, 2024

I’m happy with my team’s performance: Mohun Bagan SG head coach Jose Molina after win against Hyderabad FC

Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina was delighted with the team’s performance after… Read More

October 31, 2024