England 2-1 Poland: 5 talking points from a strong win for the Three Lions | World Cup 2022 qualifiers

#3 Stones shows why he still can’t be fully trusted

A horrendous error from John Stones led to Poland's goal tonight.

John Stones’ renaissance at Manchester City has been one of the biggest stories of the 2020-21 season. And it was no surprise when he was recalled into the England squad for this series of World Cup qualifiers.

However, tonight England fans were treated to the best and worst of the central defender.

Stones looked largely solid throughout the game, finished with a fantastic 92% pass success rate, and his header set up Harry Maguire’s winning goal.

On the other hand, though, he basically handed Poland’s goal to them on a silver platter thanks to a massive mistake in the second half.

Passes to Nick Pope and Kyle Walker were both wide open, but Stones decided to dally on the ball, lost it cheaply, and seconds later, Jakub Moder had scored.

It was an incident eerily reminiscent of Stones’ costly error in the 2019 Nations League semi-final with the Netherlands. And it should serve as a reminder that he still can’t be fully trusted to keep England’s defense watertight at this summer’s European Championships.

Still, he’s probably a better bet than the likes of Eric Dier and Tyrone Mings, and so using him may be a risk that Gareth Southgate has to take.

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#4 Do England need two holding midfielders?

Kalvin Phillips enjoyed a strong game tonight, but do England really need two holding midfielders?

Despite moving back to a 4-3-3 formation for these three World Cup qualifiers, England’s system still had a very defensive feel to it, thanks to the use of two holding midfielders in the center of the pitch.

In tonight’s game, Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips were left to shore up England’s center, while Mason Mount acted as a creative force.

And while all three men had good games - particularly in the first half - when England needed some spark in the second stanza, they found it hard going.

So with this in mind, could there be a case for starting with just one holder and dropping Phil Foden back into a more central role alongside Mount – freeing up a wide forward spot for Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho, or Marcus Rashford?

A less pragmatic boss than Gareth Southgate would almost certainly do this. However, the feeling still lingers that England’s somewhat questionable defense requires some extra protection.

Tonight though – particularly after Poland equalized – the match clearly needed an injection of creativity that neither Phillips nor Rice could ever hope to produce.

Simply put, teams should play to their strengths, and right now, England’s is in their attack. It’s time Southgate embraced that and threw caution to the wind for once.

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#5 Why does Southgate still persist with Kyle Walker?

Kyle Walker didn't have his best game at right-back for England.

It’d be unfair to suggest that Kyle Walker’s entire England career has been a bust. After all, he was probably the Three Lions’ best player in the ill-fated Euro 2016 tournament, and he also performed well at the 2018 World Cup.

However, at the age of 30, is he still the best man for the right-back slot in this England team?

Judging by his performance tonight, the answer is no.

Walker didn’t add anything to England’s attack, with his crosses being wayward. And while he ended the match with an 89% pass success rate, at times, it felt like all he did was play his teammates into danger.

With Reece James and Kieran Trippier both in the current squad and others such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Matty Cash, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka all pushing for the right-back spot, quite how much longer Southgate can keep faith with Walker is anyone’s guess.

Right now, he looks like the weakest link in England’s side. And while Poland were unable to take advantage of that tonight, better sides may be able to in the summer.