The potential of John Stones is unquestionable. However, injuries prevented him from rising to become a top star. Take a look at the ball that led to Man City’s third goal in the match against Liverpool on April 1. Gundogan scored. Alvarez previously made a shot to let the ball bounce to the German midfielder’s feet. Before that, Mahrez dribbled inside the Liverpool box, then passed it to Alvarez.
Is that enough? Not yet. Let’s rewind the situation for another 10 seconds, the essence of this attack arrangement is there. There is a person who slowly receives the ball, then freely develops the ball, connecting his teammates around in the 20m area in front of the Liverpool goal. This person stands in a position close to The Kop penalty area, taller than Rodri. De Bruyne? Not? Jack Grealish? Neither. And that person is wearing the number 5 shirt. It’s John Stones.
That’s right, you didn’t get it wrong, it’s Stones, a central defender. When Man City’s starting lineup against Liverpool was announced, what experts noticed was that all four defenders that Pep Guardiola used were central defenders. This goes against Pep’s routine this season, as he tends to use a full-back in the middle, acting as a central midfielder when Man City deploys the ball to rotate the formation into a three. -2-4-1. That role was often assigned to Cancelo, and later to Lewis. Pep has a hobby of using such versatile full-backs.
So with the defense of 4 central defenders that Pep used in the match against Liverpool, who will be the full-back in the middle? That’s the Stones. And the British star has fulfilled the role too well. Since joining Etihad, Stones has been known for his good footwork. But Pep probably couldn’t have thought that Stones played so well in both the role of a pacemaker, escaping pressing in the midfield, and as a shield in the midfield. Stones are not Rodri but had a great game in the role of receiving the ball from the defense and escaping the pressing. He is also not a Gundogan, but still shines with his high moves and connecting satellites around. Stones shows how when at his best he can be as complete as he can play as a center-back, full-back, and now a full-back in the middle.
The Stones’ stats are perfect. He touched the ball 80 times and made 63 accurate passes with a rate of up to 96%. Notably, 12/14 passes in the last 1/3 of the Stones’ opponent’s yard are correct. Stones also had 2 successful tackles, reaching 100%. With the same tall, thin figure and leisurely holding the ball in the middle of the field, sometimes Stones makes fans feel like they are watching Busquets play on the field.
The potential of the Stones is unquestionable. However, injuries prevented him from rising to become a top star. In 7 seasons at Man City, only 2 times Stones surpassed the milestone of 20 starting matches/season in the Premier League. However, with his latest performance against Liverpool, Stones is ready to rise to become a true star. As long as you don’t get injured.