FIFA World Cup:England hope Harry Maguire and John Stones partnership will give them edge at World Cup

Both players make for two crucial pieces of the England puzzle. They were responsible for the Three Lions' semi-final finish at the 2018 World Cup and journey to the final of Euro 2020. 

Gareth Southgate has assembled a 26-man squad, including John Stones and Harry Maguire, ready in pursuit of the trophy that have eluded them since 1966. 

John Stones and Harry Maguire: the heart of England's defence?

Manchester City centre-back John Stones will play alongside Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire in the centre of defence against Iran in Monday's opener in Qatar.

England's defence have garnered a weak reputation ever since the Three Lions won their last major trophy in 1966. They put up a solid defence during last year's Euro 2020, where they lost a shootout defeat to Italy. 

However, the country reaped zero wins out of six games inviting unabashed criticism on the backline that conceded eight goals in the last three games. Due to this, the focus is now on centre-back John Stones, whose partnership with Harry Maguire and England's full-backs is under intense scrutiny. 

Aware of the issues, John Stones cited a dire need to improve England's defence. The defender was hurt by the persisting insults hurled at him and his teammates. "I am a bit insulted, to be fair. Maybe in the respect that some of the players aren't playing so regularly or have had injuries perhaps," he said. 

"Sometimes we forget about what players have done in the past — and what they have done in big-game scenarios — and we focus on the negative."

Although Manchester City have seen good results this season, United might be gearing up for another Champions League miss. Skipper Harry Maguire has endured a tough season under Erik ten Hag, making four appearances overall and playing 280 minutes. He has started in three of these appearances across their 13 fixtures and has been used as a substitute on one occasion.

In response to public criticism, John Stones further shared his approach to the upcoming tournament. "We have to be so positive going into this and try to find that spark which we have had in recent tournaments," he said.

"Euro 2020 was an incredible tournament from that aspect of not conceding goals." 

Harry Maguire's approval rating has now hit an all-time low, but John Stones dismissed such claims and concerns, stating that the Manchester United defender remains an incredible player. "When I look at Harry, I see a partner," he said. 

"Through all the experiences we've had together, he's had my back, and I've had his back." He went on and reassuringly spoke about their solid partnership together. 

"We know what the other person is going to do and how we work best together. It clicks," he explained. He is confident about their collective form heading into the World Cup. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Maguire and Stones share a close bond <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MUFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MUFC</a> <a href="https://t.co/Vk5EE4570a">https://t.co/Vk5EE4570a</a></p>&mdash; Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) <a href="https://twitter.com/ManUtdMEN/status/1592614665712017408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Regardless of the kind of team Gareth Southgate assembles or the system he exercises, John Stones believes that his bond with Harry Maguire will survive. "They are too strong to be broken by (lack of) game time, form, whatever it is," he added. 

Although England's defence is questionable, the strong bond between the players can potentially turn their setbacks around.