Some teams never know when they are beaten. Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid are kings of the comeback, Liverpool had Jürgen Klopp’s mentality monsters and Manchester United had all those last-minute winners under Sir Alex Ferguson.
As for John Stones, his mind always goes straight back to the day Manchester City almost threw the title away on the final day of the 2021-22 season. Two-nil down to Aston Villa with 14 minutes left, Pep Guardiola’s team were in danger of handing the trophy to Liverpool before goals from Rodri and Ilkay Gündogan inspired an incredible turnaround.
Stones, who was on the pitch that day, was in a similar position in Gelsenkirchen last weekend. There were 95 minutes on the clock, Slovakia were 1-0 up and England were on the brink of crashing out of Euro 2024 in humiliating fashion. Step forward Jude Bellingham, who changed everything when he met Marc Guéhi’s flick from Kyle Walker’s long throw with a bicycle kick that saved Gareth Southgate’s job, kept England in the tournament and sent them on the path to a quarter-final with Switzerland on Saturday.
“I think it is a turning point emotionally to do it in such a high-pressure moment in the last few minutes,” Stones said at England’s training base on Thurs. “I believe it is going to change a lot of things for the team. When you have done these things you believe even more that you can do better when it gets tough.”
And the opponents believe it as well. A fatalism can take over against teams with a history of fighting until the bitter end. The possibility of a late twist plays on the mind, to the extent that it becomes inevitable. Can Manchester United score? They always score. The psychology is fascinating, from the perspective of the team chasing an equaliser and the one trying to hold a slender lead.
Slovakia, for instance, must have thought they were through. But when they sank back just deep enough at that throw, the space was there for Bellingham to impose himself. Slovakia had opened up a tiny gap; it was a dangerous game to play when England could call upon a player who scored four last-minute winners in his debut season for Real Madrid.
The question, though, is whether it was just one moment or a goal that could completely change the narrative around England. Stones certainly liked the idea that it could make Switzerland doubt themselves if they are 1-0 up going into the final 20 minutes in Düsseldorf. “It wouldn’t be a bad thing to create that in the back of their minds,” he said. “When we’ve done that in the last minute you believe you can do it again.
“I wish it didn’t go the way it did in respect of needing that to take us to extra time. But that’s not football. It’s a great tool we’ve unlocked. We know it’s there now if we need it. It’s not always going to go our way.”
Yet the alternative view is that England have used up their luck. It was odd to hear Stones say that he was thinking about going home after an hour against Slovakia. The spirit in the camp, we are repeatedly told, is great. On the pitch, though, the players could not stop arguing with each other. There have been times when it has felt as if the team is devoid of leadership. Perhaps that is not a surprise given that two of Southgate’s stalwarts, Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson, are not in the squad. England have more newcomers; it is natural that they will not be able to cope with every tough situation.
It means Stones has to lead. He is a smooth defender, with a demeanour removed from the chest-beating warriors of old, but he said that his will to win is why he has 76 caps. Even so, did he really stop believing in the 60th minute?
“I think it is only human you have those thoughts,” Stones said. “I have learned quickly over my career to shut that out. Especially after an iconic moment of my career with us playing Aston Villa and scoring goals in minutes. Trying to use that during the game the other day to get out of that mindset and change it to a positive and believe we really can win and believe we can score. It paid off.”
The positivity was encouraging. England could have folded against Slovakia. The subsequent narrative has been about a team that never give in.
Then again, those of a cynical disposition are entitled to point out that there was no grand masterplan from Southgate. Not every 95th-minute bicycle kick is going to end up in the net.
There is something to build on, a story to cling on to during difficult moments, but the quality of the opposition is about to go up and there are surely only so many times England can pull something out of the bag. For all the talk of belief and turning points,Stones knows they must improve or there will come a point when they will run out of time.
