Which one of the Everton and Manchester United stars should partner the Chelsea man for England?
With Euro 2016 on the horizon, England have a number of selection issues to resolve before their first game in France.
After a strong Premier League campaign, there are a number of players in Roy Hodgson’s squad currently all vying for a starting place.
One of the major decisions that has to be made is at centre back, with the manager having only elected to take three centre backs to the tournament.
Everton’s John Stones
Many believe that Chris Smalling and John Stones should be the pairing, but Chelsea defender Gary Cahill looks likely to take one place.
Should that happen, it will be interesting to see which one of Smalling and Stones will take the other place.
Neither have had fantastic seasons, so how did the two players compare this season? We decided to take a look.
| Team | Won Tackle per Game | Interception Won per Game | Ball Recoveries per Game | Duel Won per Game | Outfielder Blocks per Game | Poss Won Def 3rd per Game | Unsuccessful Touches per Game | Accurate Pass per Game | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Smalling | Man Utd | 1.11 | 2.77 | 5.54 | 5.8 | 0.54 | 2.94 | 0.29 | 36.11 | 35 |
| John Stones | Everton | 1.09 | 1.7 | 5.45 | 4.45 | 1.03 | 3.7 | 0.27 | 42.09 | 33 |
And as it transpires, it was a dead heat, as both players came out on top in four areas apiece.
Defensively, the Manchester United defender was better, as he came out on top in regards to tackles won per game, interceptions won per game, defensive duels won per game and ball recoveries per game.
Crystal Palace’s Connor Wickham in action with Manchester United’s Chris Smalling
Stones though, managed more blocks per game and slightly fewer unsuccessful touches per game. He was also a better passer, registering more accurate passes per game than the United star.
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