JOHN STONES was given a brutal 3/10 rating during England’s win over Serbia as Europe ran the rule over Gareth Southgate’s side.
The Three Lions edged out their opponents in their tense Euro 2024 opener at the Veltins-Arena.
Jude Bellingham netted the all-important goal as Southgate‘s side won 1-0.
However, the view from Europe was failry dismissive of the Three Lions‘ performance.
Stones, 30, was brutally rated with just a 3/10 by French outlet L’Equipe for his showing.
The Manchester City defender had been ill in the build-up to the game.
Stones had been held up in his room in order to avoid spreading his illness to the rest of the squad.
He was able to return to training on Friday and was fit enough to be named in the starting XI.
He helped the side keep a clean sheet against Serbia but did not do enough to impress.
L’Equipe suggested that he had “multiplied his blunders” and struggled to deal with Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
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The outlet was also unimpressed by captain Harry Kane.
The striker struggled to stand out against the Serbians and was denied by Predrag Rajkovic from finding the net.
The Bayern Munich star was handed a 5/10 for his quiet performance.
Phil Foden, Marc Guehi and Kieran Trippier were all also given the same rating.
Jordan Pickford and Kyle Walker faired slightly better and got 6/10.
Bellingham was the pick of the team as he was scored as a 7/10.
L’Equipe did praise Trent Alexander-Arnold for his outing in midfield.
The paper hailed the “quality” of his set pieces and his “precise crosses and passes”.
Bukayo Saka was also singled out for some praise as “carried out a series of astonishing dribbles along his line.”
Both Alexander-Arnold and Saka were given a sixes.
German outlet Bild were also only impressed by Bellingham as he was “the only one who stands out”.
Former Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker labelled the showing as a “very weak performance from the English”.
The outlet claimed that the Three Lions need to “step up their game” should they want to win the Euros.
In Spain, both Marca and Mundo Deportivo agreed that Bellingham was the standout player and that there was “little else” to the team.
Mundo Deportivo claimed that England were “dull” and would have a “tough time” against better teams.
THIS game felt a bit like an audition for Trent Alexander-Arnold in centre midfield, writes SunSport columnist Jack Wilshere.
I think he passed it and deserves another chance to show all the qualities that he can bring to the role.
I was pleased when I saw Trent in the starting line-up.
It’s a little bit braver than we have normally seen from Gareth Southgate and I like that.
It was: ‘Go on, go and play!’ It didn’t necessarily work out like that but that wasn’t Trent’s fault.
Southgate was experimenting with him in there, seeing if it worked.
If we get later in the tournament against the big teams, you will need someone who has played in there a few times and understands the position a bit.
The combination between Trent, Kyle Walker and Bukayo Saka is a promising one.
You see Trent naturally drift over to that right side and receive it almost like a full-back.
It’s interesting what happens then with Walker.
He was still getting involved in and around the outside, which was good to see, and it was Walker who got forward to help create the Jude Bellingham goal.
That link-up is something we need to exploit more. We should probably have used it more last night as well.
At the start, he was a little bit shaky. He gave the ball away a couple of times, and one of them led to that decent chance for Aleksandar Mitrovic.
When he plays for Liverpool he comes inside. But it’s different when you’re in there from the start. It’s 360 degree pressure, from all sides.
I always found international football that bit quicker. You’ll often receive it with your back to the game and you’ve scanned, but you need to get more on the half turn to see what’s coming.
But it was difficult for Trent, especially in the first half, for him to show his range of passing. When you’re playing against a back five, with four in front, and they’re stubborn and just waiting . . . it is very hard.
There’s no space in behind, they’re very tight and organised.
And when the ball is going over your head, your job then becomes jumping on second balls, disrupting and trying to shield the big two up front.
Trent’s positioning was good and he made some good interceptions. I think he can — and should — hold on to the ball a bit more, draw the pressure, and then play the ball forward.
If someone comes to him, that frees up space for someone else. And he and Declan Rice have the ability to find Bellingham and Phil Foden through the lines. I would like to have seen more of that. As the game opens up, Trent is a player who can pick the right pass.
Especially in transition, like he did with a lovely one down the side for Saka in the first half and another early in the second.
It was also good to see him get forward for a decent long-range shot.
But Trent was not helped by England’s performance in the second half. We weren’t aggressive enough, we didn’t press well enough.
Trent’s audition lasted just under 70 minutes in the end. I believe it is something Gareth should persist with.
He is more than intelligent enough to work it out. And as the tournament goes on, I’m sure he will be fine in there.
