Micah Richards urges John Stones to stay ‘switched on’ to keep Kylian Mbappe quiet

Micah Richards has warned John Stones to remain vigilant against France to help teammate Kyle Walker deal with the threat from PSG star Kylian Mbappe.

Richards believes Mbappe is not just a threat on the right but scores goals from all areas of the pitch, with World Cup winner Jurgen Klinsmann adding that England will have to defend ‘as a team’ on Saturday.

Much has been made of the battle between Mbappé and Walker, and how the winner will decide the outcome of the quarter-final, but Richards and Klinsmann insist that this is more than just a one-on-one duel.

Micah Richards insists John Stones will have to stay on against France

The danger represented by Kylian Mbappé has dominated the preview of the quarterfinals in England

‘I think sometimes you can make the battle too personal. If you look at where Mbappé has gotten his goals from, he’s not just coming to his right from the left, he’s also the center of goal.

‘So [John] Stones needs to make sure it’s on. I was playing against a winger and sometimes it affected my play on the build-up as I was so concerned with who I was playing that I wasn’t in my natural position for the build-up.

The Stones will be called upon to help Manchester City teammate Kyle Walker

“When you’re not approaching the game like you normally would, you can leave gaps and gaps anywhere else.”

But Mbappe is not the only player England need to be wary of when facing a star-studded French line-up, adding Richards: “It’s not just about Mbappe, they have some of the best players like (Antoine) Griezmann, (Olivier) ) Giroud, (Ousmane) Dembele, they are all class players.’

With Mbappé’s prodigious pace and fearsomeness, Walker is the natural choice in Gareth Southgate’s effort to keep his cool at the wheel of PSG when the Three Lions take on Les Bleus in the quarter-finals in Qatar.

But BBC pundits were unanimous in their assessment of how England will best benefit from facing the striker, who is the top scorer at the World Cup with five goals to his credit.

And as such, Klinsmann says the best approach for Saturday will be for the England defense to work as a unit, rather than individually, with an emphasis on keeping space as “tight as possible”.

Jurgen Klinsmann added England will have to remain resolute and keep space ‘tight’

“It will be a team effort when you play Mbappé, you have to double and switch there and make the space as tight as possible,” said the former Germany striker.

“If they work as a team and are very aware of their strengths and weaknesses, England have a good chance of going through.”

And BBC pundit Alex Scott, a former England full-back, said: “I think the important thing is to have someone to cover you in those moments as well.”