Stones and Garbutt start but England U21s are knocked out

ps: That Danny Ings is absolute rubbish.

ItÂ’s true what they say about having to learn how to play tournament football. We are a country that doesnÂ’t do pressure very well, possibly because we put to much on ourselves in the first place.

All the hype about our country’s young players was badly exposed once again and they cannot improve if they are not playing top football regularly. All of these lads would struggle against top European players of their own age.

Coming from a non-England perspective, it always seems to me that English football teams almost freeze under the burden of expectation/pressure. Of course, there is such a thing as great "tournament teams" as well - the Germans of course being the best example. Not always in World CupÂ’s the best/greatest/most talented individuals by any stretch, but theyÂ’re home bankers to reach the play-off stages of a tournament at least.

Can anyone remember the last time? For Everton, it was last season game against Man Utd.

So far with Stonesy his game is all about trying to walk the ball out of defence, which is great but the priority is to be a man mountain that wins personal battles.

I really still donÂ’t feel safe with just Stones and Jagielka as the partnership next season, I expect a lot of similar goals conceded to the season just gone.

A silly childish Garbutt foul led to their first goal. Stones dithering between backing off and closing down and not blocking the shot with the bravery of Jags or even Galloway resulted in the second. Young lads with lots to learn.

I donÂ’t know what it is with England and tournament football. As David James pointed out. The players are good enough but they operate well below their normal form.

As soon as a young player has half-a-dozen decent games for his team, heÂ’s labelled the next great white hope. HeÂ’s put into the England team and is expected to lead us to the promised land. Ings, Vardy, Austin, Kane etc....these are very good Championship players who surprised Premier League defences but this coming season will be marked out of many a game and will disappear from the international scene (maybe Kane will make it).

There is no progression in football these days. If you shine in a few games youÂ’re put on a pedestal by the media and a national clamour begins for the player to jump into the national team without any sort of apprenticeship or preparation. This way weÂ’ll never win anything.

What really bugs me is how the so called Â’expertsÂ’ in the media all fawn over the likes of Spain and Germany and the way their national teams operate. The way they group together players and bring them through the ranks as polished units rather than individuals.

Then in the next breath they are clamouring for any 18-year-old to be in EnglandÂ’s First Team after three good games despite little to no U21 tournament experience.

I hate International football.

I think I am right in saying he started at Everton as a right back and also played there for England U21s. So is he a right back playing out of position? Perhaps not a marauding wing back type of right back but one who seems to read the game... Lee Dixonish! – and then moved to play centre back

Garbutt huffed and puffed but was mainly ineffectual, as were all the English players. Too much money, too much hype, too little football brain and devilry. The talent is there, the nouse is seriously lacking despite most of them being very rich men. Too much, too early = lack of desire and drive.

The middle is definitely where he is best, but as David Barks says, he is in a position that is highly dependent on experience. There arenÂ’t many that look world class at his age.

Slightly more serious. The England Ladies team are not doing too badly. They are gradually moving through the tournament.

Luke Garbutt is not yet in the same league and needs to make a regular impression in the Premier League which it sounds like he may get the chance to do on loan at Bournemouth. He has a great left foot but like Stones needs to work on his primary job, defending. IÂ’m not sure whether he is marked for greatness but would be surprised if he does not become a regular starter for some Premier League team over the next decade. Hopefully us.

The team as a whole were mediocre to awful throughout. The midfield were completely bossed by the Portuguese and Italians. Kane - who is a very good player - had to more or less make his own chances. Ings is a carthorse and will be lucky to get off the bench at Liverpool.

Incidentally, the women have been more entertaining and if the England-Canada game was not being shown after midnight, I would have happily watched it.

"Stones... ...gets totally murdered every time he comes up against forwards who are a bit of a handful"

A tad overstated perhaps.

I know you love to dig players out but when exactly did this happen last season?

I mean the lad didnÂ’t have the best game last night but for me he was one of the few positives that came out of last season. Of course he will get better as a defender but heÂ’s already good enough to be a regular starter at 21.

As ever, both Stones and Garbutt have been hopelessly over-hyped and have much to learn. It will be interesting to see if they can hold down a regular Premier League place next season although the latter will find less competition whilst on loan at Bournemouth.

As posted previously, Season 15-16 should see the end of the Â’potentialÂ’ tag for a host of our younger players who, by seasonÂ’s end, should be judged on what they achieve rather on what they might do in an undetermined time frame.

30 passes to get to the half way line, most of them sideways or backwards including half a dozen back to the keeper & then devoid of ideas to get any further.

It happened at Villa Park in May, it happened when he struggled against the gangly Conor Wickham at home to Sunderland and in the Cup match at West Ham to name a few.

We can go on about Jagielka and Stones being this an that but are either one of them truly commanding in the air?

If ever a goal summed up Everton’s defending throughout the whole of last season it was the last day against Spurs, a free header for Harry Kane inside the box, much the goals conceded at Aston Villa weeks earlier.

Two clean sheets away from home all season.

It’s not just John Stones though that needs to work on becoming solid, our entire defence needs working on and probably you can understand the talk of Ogbonna, Dann for example.

I completely agree – it was just like watching us last season, sideways passing, no penetration, two or three touches when one was required.

Stones will be a good ’un, but he’s still young for a defender. I remember a young Rio Ferdinand being on the end of a 6-0 we gave to West Ham - he was awful that day, but it must have been a good lesson.

Garbutt looked like what he is, a player with a handful of first-team games against experienced players. A year learning on his feet at Bournemouth and we’ll have much more to judge him on.

Ings stank out the gaffe, which was amusing.

Both of Benteke’s goals for Villa was when he was being marked by Jags (if memory serves my correctly) and the Kane goal was to the left of the six yard box, again this is Jags domain.

Strange you should pick the Sunderland game too, two flukey deflected (one offside) and handballed goals. One were Stones was actually rugby tackled by Fletcher in the run up to the offside and handballed goal.

Nobody’s perfect, you always learn better off your mistakes unfortunately, and Stones is going to be a top player, no doubt.

I hope we sign another centre-back and play 3-5-2 next season. Reason is easy, we would have more protection when our fill backs push on like they do.

Also, Stones can bring the ball out of defence to were Barry receives it anyway, there’s no need for a midfielder to receive a ball that deep.

Your original post said 'gets totally murdered every time', you really stand by that?

Did he play all season without any mistakes, of course not he's 21 in his second full season. But the picture you paint of him being bullied by physical players is not borne out by what most people have seen.

John Stones will also be a great defender for us, so learn to appreciate him while he is here, unfortunately he will leave sooner or later, that’s how good he is.

Tim Howard has it in spades. All goal-keepers have it. The madness to throw themselves almost onto the boot of a full blooded shot, determined to save the day with their face or body.

Certain types of centre back also have it. Everyone as mad and brave as a keeper. Jags would head the ball off someoneÂ’s boot if he had to. So too would Terry, Skrtel, Vidic, Shawcross, Cahill, Dawson, Kompany, OÂ’Shea, Williams and many others. All as hard as nails and probably enjoy taking one in the face.

Stones, like Baines and most of the Everton squad, canÂ’t get himself out of the way quick enough. Willing to twist and block a shot with the seat of his pants but never with his face. I watch him do it all the time.

When facing a shot head on, as demonstrated by the second goal, he places his face and body in line with the non-shooting foot and twists his right boot across to the shooting foot, thereby turning his back.

Maybe Ferdinand and Hansen had a similar trait. I donÂ’t know. They certainly werenÂ’t hard types. Like our lad they could tackle hard and fast from most angles but IÂ’m not sure about the kamikaze block with body and face. That takes a special kind of natural born nutter. Skrtel and Vidic have probably shaved with a bread-knife since the age of ten.

Barkley is a player to whom this has been applied in the past and it now seems he will never hit the heights some of our supporters predicted he would and the same people are even now applying the same rhetoric to Stones, Garbutt and even Deulofeu.

By all means praise the finished article who has PROVED he can CONSISTENTLY do the stuff and support the development of our youngsters but please donÂ’t saddle young players with the mantle of Â’Great ExpectationsÂ’.