John Stones should be the key man for England and Manchester City for years to come. Eye-catching transfer fee aside, the former Everton central defender has all the ingredients to become an all-time great for club and country, particularly with the guidance of Pep Guardiola.
His game – even after a rocky start to his time in Manchester – has improved markedly. Technical ability has never been an issue for Stones, but his judgement in possession has occasionally been brought into question. As a straightforward defender, Stones is only improving too. His use of his body and reading of the opponent has come on leaps and bounds in just a few months.
Guardiola is no stranger to wet behind the ears, talented, but frustrating central defenders. There was a certain one, particularly, that looms large over Guardiola’s CV of player development. Some guy called Gerard Pique arrived at Barcelona as a youngster still looking for his way at the top level, but he was nurtured by Guardiola into one of the world’s best. Pique is now a multiple Champions League winner, a stalwart of the greatest ever club side and a key member in Spain’s international dominance.
What was key for Pique – as it is for any defender – was the unit he was in. Carles Puyol was his partner during his developmental years and there was no better partner for a ball-playing centre-back at the time. Puyol was the lion of Barcelona, a leader on and off the field and without the same desire to play the ball as his teammates. The Spaniard was iconic at the club, but his role in the growth of Pique was one of his unsung achievements.
The unit has been the issue for Stones. Without the settled companions that Pique was gifted, he has been partnered by Nicolas Otamendi, Vincent Kompany and Aleksandar Kolarov at different moments this season. The full-backs and goalkeeper have changed on an all-too-regular basis as well, leaving Stones as the only constant in a defence that has creaked for the majority of the campaign.
Stones has no Puyol, no Valdes, no Alves. The lone wolf, as it stands, for the future of Manchester City’s defence. The England international could reasonably be the only one of City’s current defensive options to remain at the club next season. Where young defenders – particularly those of the ball-playing variety – need consistency and experience around them, Stones has been the glue keeping it from complete chaos.
Pique was once a young, uncertain defender. His reputation now holds him as one of the best in a generation. So much of that was down to his partnership with Puyol, which brought such success to Catalonia. Stones can emulate Pique’s iconic status in European football, but Guardiola needs to find him his own Puyol.
Kompany would have been ideal for the role, though his injuries make it an untrustworthy, unsustainable option.
This summer must see City give Stones the defensive partners he really needs to flourish. If they can do just that, the transfer fee paid last summer will start to see like a bargain.
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