John Stones & Ezri Konsaplaceholder image
John Stones & Ezri Konsa | Getty Images
John Stones and Ezri Konsa are competing to start at centre-back against Croatia - so who’s likely to get the nod from Thomas Tuchel?
England’s warm-up win over Costa Rica may have provided a timely confidence boost ahead of the World Cup, but it failed to answer one of the more pressing questions facing Thomas Tuchel in the build-up to Wednesday's match against Croatia: Whether to start John Stones or Ezri Konsa at centre-back.
Marc Guéhi is expected to start as the left-sided central defender in Arlington, with Stones and Konsa seemingly battling for the other berth – a straight fight between a veteran who has been one of the best ball-playing defenders in the country but has scarcely played in recent seasons, and a regular starter who has almost always excelled when called upon by his country.
The battle between John Stones and Ezri Konsa
If Tuchel was hoping that the playing both of them in defence against would Croatia would act as an audition, he will have been disappointed. Both played for an hour but were scarcely tested as England dominated possession and territory against weak opposition.
Stones was on the pitch for just over an hour but made the sum total of zero tackles, zero interceptions and zero clearances – not because he made any mistakes, but because he had virtually nothing to do other than to calmly recycle possession when the ball came his way. That, as you would expect, he did with the confidence of a player of considerable experience and undoubted technical quality.
Konsa was equally composed and precise on the ball and actually had a little bit of defending to do, with Costa Rica’s rare forays into the England half largely being coolly snuffed out by the Aston Villa man. It was a largely faultless display, but not one that offered up any new data about a player whose has been impeccable in his country’s colours since making his debut two years ago.
Neither player was afforded the opportunity to change Tuchel’s mind, which may well have been made up already – not that he’s been in any mood to tell the press what his decision might be.
Tuchel appears to admire Stones’ well-rounded skillset and the rock solid base he offers for a team who’s gameplan is based primarily on possession, and were he still a regular starter at Manchester City it seems likely that Konsa wouldn’t have much of a look-in. As it is, a combination of age and injuries restricted the 32-year-old Stones to a mere five league starts in the 2025/26 season.
Stones, who will officially leave Manchester City on a free transfer at the end of June, fell out of favour with Pep Guardiola and looked sluggish and rusty when put up against international team-mate Ollie Watkins against Aston Villa on the final day of the Premier League season. But as Tuchel has demonstrated by taking Jordan Henderson to the United States, he values leadership and tournament know-how.
Will Stones start against Croatia?
While Tuchel is evidently fond of Stones, he has also put plenty of faith in Konsa since taking charge of the Three Lions at the start of 2025 – the 28-year-old played the entirety of six of England’s eight World Cup qualifying matches, getting a rest against Andorra and then against Albania once a place in the tournament had already been secured.
The Three Lions boss has trusted Konsa throughout his tenure and been rewarded with a string of fine performances – but Tuchel is no sentimentalist, and if he believes that a fit and ready Stones is a better bet, then he will get the nod. And he does appear to be fit again.
“He feels very, very good,” Tuchel told the media on Wednesday. “Totally competitive... He has trust in his body and most importantly now, he did ever so good for us when he was in camp. He offers us a lot, he is a football player on the highest level, a defender of the highest quality. He can step into midfield, he’s confident in the build-up, he can switch between different formations fluidly. He is a proven winner of so many titles. He knows what it takes, and on top of it he’s a very nice personality... The full package.”
Stones has been sidelined for large swathes of the season by hamstring and calf injuries but has been in full training since April and Tuchel appears to be convinced that he’s up to speed – while a steady drip-feed of compliments perhaps imply that Stones is more likely to get the nod against Croatia.
It would be rather cruel on Konsa, who has done everything asked of him in an England shirt, but Tuchel has his methods and knows his own mind. There will be plenty of travelling supporters who would disagree with Stones’ selection, but the manager isn’t one to worry about public perceptions.
Certainly, Stones’ ability to step up into midfield could be very helpful in allowing the full-backs to stay wider in possession, freeing them up to support the wingers and create overloads in wide areas without having to drift inside to plug gaps. Stones could be a fine complement to the strategy which proved hugely successful against Costa Rica.
But he will only be the right man for the job if he is fit and free from the rust that was visible against Aston Villa just a few short weeks ago. Last Wednesday was such a gentle test that it offered little insight into his conditioning, but if Tuchel is happy that he will be able to play something close to his best football, don’t be surprised if he gets the nod when England travel to Texas. Konsa may end up looking like the unluckiest man in the squad.
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