![Prost International [PINT]](https://prostinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PINTtFontLogoRoboto1536x78.jpg)
There have been many positives at Manchester City this season, however the biggest has to be the resurgence of central defender John Stones who has turned his career at City around.
After arriving at the club in 2016 during Pep Guardiola’s first season for a fee of £47.5m, John Stones became the second most expensive defender in history. At just 22 years old he knew there would be immense pressure on him, but due to his natural ability on the ball while being managed by one of the best coaches in world football, many believed it was a match made in heaven.
He made a good start to life at City making 41 appearances in all competitions during the 16/17 season, despite it being it overshadowed by Guardiola’s first trophy-less season in his entire managerial career coupled with the problems of an ageing squad.
The following summer the board sanctioned a mass clear out bringing new faces such as Kyle Walker and Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson, joining a new look Manchester City with John Stones at the heart of the defence.
During the first half of that season, City broke history equaling the record of winning consecutive Premier League games totalling 18 in a row, with Stones forming a formidable partnership at the back with Argentinean defender Nicolas Otamendi.
However after a brilliant start to the season, misery was heaped onto Stones after he torn his hamstring in the 2-0 win away to Leicester. The injury to Stones as well as club captain Vincent Kompany suffering with fitness problems, left Guardiola with no other option than to bring in reinforcements in the January transfer window. Aymeric Laporte was signed from Athletic Bilbao for a fee of £57 million.
Despite making a return after Christmas with a few appearances, Stones’ season was dampened by further injuries meaning he never managed to hold down a position in the starting 11 for the remainder of the season.
During the 18/19 season Stones seemed to recuperate some of his form as he helped Manchester City retain the title, with his famous goal-line clearance in the 2-1 win against title rivals Liverpool being the standout. He made 39 appearances in all competitions during the season, although Guardiola did favour the Kompany/Laporte central defence partnership in the final weeks of the season, which in the end defined the title.
Fast forward to the 19/20 season, it was one to forget for John Stones. With club legend Vincent Kompany departing that summer and Aymeric Laporte sustaining a cruciate knee injury just four games into the season, it seemed the perfect opportunity for John to step in and solidify his place at the heart of the City defence. However after a performance to forget in the 3-2 loss away at Norwich, Guardiola seemed to loose all faith and trust in Stones.
In what was a defensive crisis at the time for Manchester City, there was a period where Otamendi and Eric Garcia were the only available centre backs to choose from. However Guardiola opted to call upon veteran midfielder Fernandinho to fill the gap, someone who he could rely on and provide a sense of calmness at the back for City.
During this time John Stones was completely out of favour, highlighted in the game away at Crystal Palace. Pep decided to play both central midfielders Rodri and Fernandinho together at the heart of the defence, while both Stones and Otamendi were left out. City won the game comfortably 2-0.
More injuries after the Premier League restart hampered Stones’ season meaning he fell further down the pecking order. This allowed youngster Eric Garcia to move ahead of him in Guardiola’s thinking. Stones’ 24 appearances in all competitions was his lowest since joining from Everton for £47m in 2016.
After a poor season it seemed that Stones was surplus to requirements at Manchester City, especially considering the signing of Nathan Ake from Bournemouth. Both Arsenal and Chelsea were rumoured to be monitoring the situation closely, and a possible reunion with former City assistant manager Mikel Arteta was a possibility.
A fresh start?
As it was confirmed that Nicolas Otamendi was departing the club after five years, and with Eric Garcia refusing to sign a new contract as he pushed for a move back to his boyhood club Barcelona, there was a chance for Stones to stay and fight for his place. Stones obviously accepted the challenge and came out publicly expressing his desire to regain his form and to become a part of Guardiola’s plans once again.
It was no secret that City were in the market to sign reinforcements after their crisis in defence during the 19/20 season. Kalidou Koulibaly seemed to be Guardiola’s first choice however the club struggled to agree on a fee with Napoli, which in the end halted the move. City shifted their attention to Portuguese defender Ruben Dias, eventually signing him from Benfica for £65 million.
When announced not many were aware of Dias having learnt his trade in the Primeira League in Portugal, however since arriving in Manchester he has been excellent. At just 23 years old he is turning heads already, as he seems to have solidified the City defence and collated 13 cleans sheets in all competitions this season. But it is his partnership with John Stones which has impressed most, when playing together the pair have conceded just once in 810 minutes as they continue to build a formidable partnership at the heart of the Manchester City defence.
Stones, whose performances are very much reliant on confidence, seems to have met his match playing with Dias as they compliment each other so well. It’s clear to see that Dias is a natural leader and has a calming influence on the rest of the squad, as he is often seen congratulating team mates as they make last ditch tackles. The kind of leadership at the back Manchester City have been lacking since Vincent Kompany left in 2019.
City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed his delight at how the pair have been playing, he said: “Ruben has helped us a lot to be solid, and he has settled perfect with John.” The Catalan had further praise for John Stones, stating how impressed he was with the way Stones has managed to turn his City career around and the character he has shown. When asked what has made the difference in Stones’ revival, Guardiola said: “Himself. He was the first player we signed five years ago. He knew exactly what he had to do. He has done it. Himself.”
Its not just the City fans and manager who have been impressed with Stones as of late, he is also being recognised in the wider footballing community as Gary Lineker recently tweeted his praise for the defender.
Has he worked his way back into Southgate’s plans?
After a faultless start to the 2020/21 season Stones will be looking to build on this and carry his form into the summer where he will be hoping to be a part of the England squad at the European Championships. Having not played for his country since the 7-0 win over Montenegro in November 2019, Stones is optimistic that Southgate will reward him for his recent performances with a place in the squad.
Southgate appears to be settled on Harry Maguire as he starts to plan ahead for this summer, so the question is who would be the ideal candidate to partner the Manchester United centre back in defence? Joe Gomez looked like he would be the one heading into the season, however after sustaining a serious knee injury while on international duty last time out, it seems to have blown the competition wide open as he looks set to miss the competition through injury.
So could the return to form of John Stones be the answer? Well he is going to be up against the likes of Tyrone Mings, Eric Dier and Wolves captain Conor Coady as they all fight for that spot.
However if Stones can continue his excellent form of late and prove to the manager that his troubles are behind him, Southgate will look to bring him back into the fold with no hesitation.
columns]
Manchester City
News
