Netherlands 3-1 England (aet): Gareth Southgate defends John Stones after error and says Three Lions will NOT change playing style

Gareth Southgate has no plans to change England’s style of play despite mistakes at the back resulting in a defeat to the Netherlands in Thursday’s Nations League semi-final.

John Stones’ error on the edge of his own box began the Three Lions’ extra-time downfall in Guimaraes, with Kyle Walker putting the ball in his own net after his Manchester City team-mate cheaply gave away possession.

Stones kept hold of the ball for far too long, and such a poor decision cost England dearly

Quincy Promes rounded off the Dutch’s 3-1 victory soon after, as Ross Barkley played him in with a dreadful backpass, but Stones’ error was the turning point.

Nonetheless, he retains the backing of Southgate – who also promised there would be no compromises on England’s decision to play out from the back.

“I think we’ve had some players who, at the end of the season, have found it difficult in terms of amount of minutes on the pitch – and others having the complete opposite,” said Southgate.

“I think fatigue has played a part tonight, a lack of match sharpness. I’m asking them to play in a way that puts them under huge pressure at the back.

Video Player is loading.

Current Time 0:00

Duration 1:30

Loaded: 11.02%

Stream Type LIVE

Remaining Time 1:30

Current Time 0:00

Duration 0:00

Loaded: 0%

Stream Type LIVE

Remaining Time 0:00

Claire Rafferty looks ahead to the lionesses opening game against Scotland in the Women's World Cup

“If we didn’t play that way, we wouldn’t have got to the semi-finals we’ve got to, and we would never progress to being a top team because you saw the way Holland played that way as well.

“They also made a really poor error at the back. But I have got to be there to support John because he’s going to get criticism after tonight.

“But himself and Harry [Maguire], the way we ask them to play, they take huge strain of the game on their shoulders and they’re incredibly courageous to do that.

“So, that’s the way I believe they can play and we should play, and we didn’t lose because of how we wanted to play. The errors were uncharacteristic, really, and not errors that we would make.

“I’ve got to not overreact to those things and I have got to be there to support them in what is a difficult moment for everybody.”

Ross Barkley made his own mistake soon after Stones to help the Netherlands increase their lead

England headed into the match hoping to face Portugal in Sunday’s final and looked on course for a shot at their first trophy in 53 years as Southgate’s side reacted well to Matthijs De Ligt cancelling out Marcus Rashford’s first-half penalty.

Jesse Lingard thought he had filled the role of super-sub as he coolly turned home in the 83rd minute but joy quickly turned to despair as the Video Assistant Referee ruled out the strike for a narrow offside.

The frustration continued to grow as extra-time came around, however, with the two mistakes ensuring England remain without a final appearance since 1966.

LIVE ON talkSPORT

talkSPORT is your home of live football! Here's what's coming up on talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2...

Denmark vs Republic of Ireland (Friday, 7:45pm) – talkSPORT 2

France vs South Korea (Friday, 8pm) – talkSPORT

Croatia vs Wales (Saturday, 2pm) – talkSPORT

Switzerland vs England (Sunday, 2pm) – talkSPORT

England vs Scotland (Sunday, 5pm) – talkSPORT

Portugal vs Netherlands (Sunday, 7:45pm) – talkSPORT

Southgate went on to explain the reasoning behind his decision to leave all seven players involved in last Saturday’s Champions League final on the bench.

Liverpool trio Jordan Henderson, Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold were joined in the dugout by Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Danny Rose of Tottenham.

“In terms of the individual players, they weren’t ready to start the game,” he added. “We wanted some young players to have the experience of a night like tonight, and they deserve that experience because they’ve been playing well.

“You can look in hindsight at some of those decisions, but we started and finished with the right people on the pitch.”

FIVE Brit football fans have been arrested in Madrid as footage emerged appearing to show Spurs fans being "battered" by cops ahead of all-English Champions League Final. The five Brits, in Spain

Neil Warnock backed by Sam Allardyce, who hits out at Jamie

Sadio Mane revealed he was 'jealous' when Barcelona signed Philippe Coutinho in 2018. The LaLiga giants signed the forward in a deal worth up to £142million during last season's January transfer window.
Liverpool's Mane 'jealous' that Barcelona signed Coutinho

MARCOS ALONSO reckons Maurizio Sarri's lack of a playing career in football has contributed to struggles in his first season at Chelsea. hindered his first season in England, says Marcos Alonso.
Alonso admits he's struggled to Chelsea boss Sarri's demands

Revealed! Which Premier League sides have the hardest - and easiest - run-ins as three of their last four games are against the current top six (including trips to Chelsea and Manchester

Alexis Sanchez and Paul Pogba are reportedly at the centre of a dressing room fallout at Manchester United over their goal and assist bonuses.. Sanchez, who has endured a disastrous spell at Old Trafford since his move from Arsenal last season, earns a reported £500,000-a-week on his current contract, with £75,000 given as a bonus for every goal scored and £25,000 for every assist provided.
Sanchez and Pogba at heart of Man Utd rift over lucrative

The club shop was the first to open on 23 October 2018. The stadium opened with a ceremony on 3 April 2019 before its first competitive senior game, the Premier League match against Crystal Palace. The match was won by Tottenham 2-0, with Son Heung-min scoring the first ever official goal at the new stadium.

Tottenham vs Liverpool: Hundreds of Spurs fans risk missing Champions League final after seven-hour delay at Stansted "One of our six chartered aircraft taking Tottenham Hotspur supporters
Tottenham vs Liverpool: Hundreds of Spurs fans risk missing

PFA Player of the Year: Shortlist revealed as Liverpool and Man City dominate nominations. Virgil van Dijk and Raheem Sterling lead the nominations for the prestigious award
Liverpool, Man City dominate PFA Player of the Year - msn.com

Champions League winners Virgil van Dijk and Gini Wijnaldum were given a hero's welcome when they linked up with their Netherlands team-mates on Monday night. The Dutch duo rocked up at the
Virgil van Dijk makes major statement after Liverpool's

Gordon Strachan has revealed that he would would sign child sex offender Adam Johnson, claiming the England international "deserves a second chance". The former Scotland manager was speaking as
Gordon Strachan says he would give sex offender Adam Johnson

This is the new Derby County home kit 15/16, DCFC's new principal strip for the upcoming Championship season.Made by Umbro, the new Rams uniform for 2015/2016 was officially unveiled on June 12, 2015, with a teaser video presented to the public a day before.
Derby County 2018-19 Umbro Away Kit | 18/19 Kits | Football

At the start of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's caretaker reign, the 26-year-old scored eight goals in nine games. Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his first goal. That form appears to have taken a dip and he has only scored twice in the last 10 games for Manchester United. "Pogba's now playing how he was pre-Ole's arrival," Neville told beIN
Champions League defeat to Barcelona could be blessing in
fussboll.com/2019/04/17/champions-league-defeat-to-barcelona-could-be-blessing-in-disguise-for-ole-gunnar-solskjaer-claims-darren-fletcher/
Man United players have been urged to play for their Old Trafford futures for the rest of the season "Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the manager, so from now until the end of the season your performances have got to reflect if you want to be part of Manchester United's future. "If you don't, thanks very much.
Mane wants to be "Liverpool Legend" - Just Football News

Pages

FIFA Premium Football Live

Labels