England Fans Worried John Stones Will Cost Them 2026 World Cup

Hal picked up his MA in Sports Journalism and NCTJ qualification from St Mary's University Twickenham, Hal has since been part of Valnet since late 2021.

He started as a freelance football writer for This Is Futbol and carried that on over to FootballFanCast before becoming their social media editor. He now works as an editor for GiveMeSport, predominantly focusing on Premier League, Champions League, and English football.

He also helps GiveMeSport cover other major sports such as MMA, boxing, darts, tennis, and golf. Key events like the summer and winter Olympics are also highlights when they appear on the sporting calendar.

Hal is an Arsenal and Three Lions fan, but keeps an eye on the All Blacks, his favourite rugby team, having grown up in New Zealand. Sign in to your GiveMeSport account Six days on from Mexico's opening World Cup victory over South Africa, England finally kicked off their tournament with a match against Croatia. It was a thrilling game as Thomas Tuchel's side came away with a fine 4-2 win.

The Three Lions famously took on and lost to the Croatians in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. Out for revenge, Harry Kane was there to deliver it early on. Noni Madueke won a penalty, and the England captain scored from 12 yards - although, having missed his first effort, he was fortunate to get a retake due to encroachment.

Croatia then hit back in the 36th minute, with Martin Baturina blasting home from the edge of the box with a powerful strike. It didn't take long for Kane to score again, this time heading in a Declan Rice corner to put England ahead. However, before the break, another equaliser came, this time with Petar Musa finishing calmly after a lovely move.

In the second half, Tuchel has clearly got into his men as they came out firing, and scored almost instantly through Jude Bellingham after a powerful run. Bukayo Saka then linked up with fellow substitute Marcus Rashford, who put the cherry on top as he made it 4-2.

One of the big calls from Tuchel ahead of the game was to go with John Stones and Ezri Konsa in the middle of defence, with Marc Guehi dropped. This was a bold decision and didn't really pay off as the backline looked shaky throughout.

Despite the Three Lions carrying a great threat whenever going forward, the Croatians were able to stress the English backline without having to do that much. As such, they scored twice in the first half despite not having as much of the ball.

Notably, Stones looked off it. The Manchester City defender hasn't been able to stay fit this season, playing just twice in the Premier League in 2026 (making just 19 appearances in all competitions across 2025/26). This may explain why he looked rusty on the day.

Although things settled in the second half, with the opposition unable to break forward as frequently, it was not a convincing display for the centre-back. Stones was then hooked in the 87th minute, with Guehi replacing him.

The 32-year-old picked up a poor 6.4 SofaScore rating, having been dribbled past once, giving away one foul, and only managing two defensive contributions.

Despite the win, some England fans seemed worried by Stones' performance, as many suggested he should be dropped if Tuchel's team are to have a hope of going all the way at the 2026 World Cup. One wrote:

"John Stones shouldn’t be starting for England."

Another suggested: This England defence won't win a World Cup. Guehi has to be in over Stones going forward."

One more said: "Stones has been shocking." While another firmly stated:

"John Stones needs to be dropped for the next game. Barely featured for City and he’s completely out of his depth here. Literal jelly legs wobbling about."

On that theme, another wrote: "John Stones has been a top defender in his time but its been evident for at least a couple of seasons now that he is well past his best. I can see him getting dropped for Guehi in the next game, if Tuchel has any sense, at least."

A final fan summed up the sentiment, writing: "England's defence looks disorganised. They conceded two goals far too easily. I do not understand why John Stones was preferred ahead of Maguire and other available options."