MANCHESTER CITY
Pep Guardiola’s new creation at Manchester City is John Stones: MVP against Bayern Munich
Chosen as the MVP of the game against Bayern Munich, John Stones has become one of City’s key players in a new role.
The fantastic volley with which Stones opened the scoring during City’s most recent Premier League game against Leicester City is more typical of his Norweigian colleague that wears number 9. However, who are we to judge? In the 2022/2023 season it has officially become impossible to define the position in which John Stones plays.
What is known in England is that in this ‘hybrid role’, the English defender has turned into one of the most important figures of Manchester City this season. It goes without saying that a footballer capable of acting as a central defender, right back, pivot or interior midfielder will always have a place in Pep Guardiola’s stringy web of tactics that he keeps pinned to the underside of his bed.
With the goal against the Foxes last weekend, Stones has already equalled his best goalscoring contribution numbers in the a single season with the Skyblues: he has three goals and two assists, which matches the five goals he scored in 2020/2021. This has led the English international to be one of the standout names of the current season at the Etihad Stadium in the unexpected yet fundamental role created in the mind of the Spanish coach.
Stones explains his role in the team
He is playing in a ‘hybrid role’ that John Stones himself was in charge of explaining, as well as thanking, in an interview with Sky Sports: “It’s about playing the ball, expressing myself and trying to interpret situations, and you know, whatever the coach asks of me. We work on it in training all the time, so when game day comes we know what our role is. I think we’ve been together for seven years, I know what’s expected of me. I wouldn’t put myself there if I didn’t think I was going to feel comfortable or that I was going to do a good job. And then it’s about us trying to execute and believe in our own abilities, and trying to do as much as I can for the team”.
The English defender’s early days at Manchester City were not easy. John Stones experienced a roller coaster of performances that had him at the centre of a hurricane of criticism for months, especially given the €55 million that the Citizens spent on bringing him to Manchester. Now, with 22 starts in 24 games, the 28-year-old can take pride in being one of Pep Guardiola’s outstanding students.
With his new position on the field, Manchester City have acheived a new sense of defensive solidity, mainly by having an extra player both in the central line and on the right side; he has improved the team’s build-up and has provided Rodri with a much-appreciated partner in the midfield. “I have tried not to do too much. The players have 360º vision and that hasn’t reached me yet, if I know I can turn I will, but I try to keep it simple. It’s about creating spaces for others”, adds John Stones himself, who sees himself as an ideal complement for his colleagues to shine.
Stones' Fantastic Week
In this new position, John Stones seems to have beaten Kyle Walker and Rico Lewis to be the first choice in this ‘hybrid role’. The English defender has managed six consecutive starts between the Premier League and the Champions League, winning them all. As for the games during the past national team break with England, the City player won every fixture in which he played a role: 12 of 12. Even taking into account the games in which he was called up but did not have minutes, both the Citizens and the Three Lions were victorious (15 out of 15).
The stunning goal to netted to put his team ahead last weekend is nothing more than the perfect icing on the cake to what is possibly John Stones’ best week as a Manchester City player. Days before the league clash against Leicester City, in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern Munich, the Englishman was chosen as MVP of the party at the Etihad Stadium.
Even with the performances of Rúben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland against the Bavarians, Stones’ defensive game and the assist to make it 3-0 for the Norwegian allowed City to go into cruise control and as such the defender walked away with the personal award.
On top of everything else, UEFA named John Stones as ‘Champions League Player of the Week’, taking into account the MVPs of the other three first legs of the quarterfinals. If the now well-known ‘four centre-back defence’ system is paying off at the Etihad Stadium, John Stones is a huge reason behind the success.
