KANSAS CITY — For a nation that can boast Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Tony Adams and Sol Campbell as their recent central defensive alumni, this World Cup’s English centre-back contingent are arguably as weak a group as any coach has had at his disposal in living memory.
It always felt like a question of Marc Guehi plus one other in the middle, with Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa tipped to get the nod for Wednesday’s opener against Croatia, mainly on the basis he has played regularly this season, such is the level the bar has dropped to in the heart of defence.
Not one to stick with conventional thinking, Thomas Tuchel is instead set to make the controversial choice and build his backline around John Stones, who has 11 Premier League starts across the last two seasons. There is, however, like with his left-field squad selection, method behind the German’s apparent madness.
Thomas Tuchel has shown he is not afraid to make big decisions (Photo: Getty)
Stones and Guehi are similar defenders, both of whom like to bring the ball out from the back, acting as a de facto additional midfielder. What separates last season’s club teammates is that Stones has a record of doing it on the biggest stages.
