Man City Is the Perfect Club for John Stones to Achieve His Career Ambitions

One of Pep Guardiola’s immediate priorities when taking over at Manchester City was to establish a clear way of playing that was grounded in having possession and building moves from deep. To do that he needed a goalkeeper comfortable with the ball at his feet and at least one centre-half who felt able to move into midfield and start attacks.

No English central defender is as naturally gifted in possession than John Stones. His time at Everton was far from perfect, and there were defensive flaws in his game that needed ironing out, but he had shown he was a gifted footballer who had a desire to play his way out from the back—an ideal fit for Guardiola’s approach.

The City boss wanted him and sanctioned a £47.5 million move this summer. Some felt it was a gamble, others were sure he had the capability to excel at a top club.

After two months, the signs are good. The 22-year-old has looked more than comfortable at City and is already the main man in Guardiola’s defence.

The former Barcelona boss doesn’t just accept Stones’ desire to play out from the back, he actively encourages it. It fits neatly with his principles; his belief that football should be played on the front foot. It could be argued that the England international has found the perfect manager for his style.

A month after joining City, Stones spoke to Daniel Taylor of the Guardian and admitted he was in the process of adapting his game.

He wants to be a ball-playing defender, but more importantly he knows he needs to master the uglier side of the game—the battling and grappling that unsettles strikers, the blocks and tackles that require bravery and anticipation.

He said:

I believe I have come on quite a lot, already, as a player. I was doing things before and then I would think: ‘Why have I done that? Why haven’t I just put it out in Row Z?’ Already I can see a difference in my decision making. So, of course, I’ll kick it into Row Z if necessary. We can all regroup from putting it in Row Z sometimes.

I’ve always liked taking the ball out of defence and I will carry on doing that but at the end of the day I’m a defender, and that’s what I want to be known as—a defender, getting in the blocks and the headers that people don’t recognise I do, the dirty stuff that every defender should …

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