Stones must turn his great potential into performances
JOHN Stones is only 23 but appears to be facing more hurdles in his career.
Months after he had tried to force a move to Premier League champions Chelsea, the defender was struggling to justify his place in the Everton team.
Roberto Martinez – an adherent fan of Stones, possession football and building from the back – did not want to write off a player of such potential and accommodated him at right-back, despite the Goodison flak.
A move to City and 18 months on and Stones still hasn’t nailed down his best position.
Gareth Southgate left him out of the Scotland World Cup qualifier and then suggested he could be used in a holding midfield role against France.
The Three Lions coach talked up his ‘huge potential’ but isn’t sure he’s the right fit for a three-man defence. He can’t be any more clear after using him at the back for the error-prone 3-2 defeat to France.
Stones has said he is ‘open to anything’ if it allows him to keep his England shirt and you can’t expect a footballer to refuse to play different positions.
But more disruption surely risks further delaying improvement and progression at centre-back.
Pep Guardiola memorably defended his player by declaring that bravery outweighed mistakes and is another to see enormous promise in the defender.
Yet the same manager also dropped him for those mistakes, and the England man could not dislodge Nicolas Otamendi and Vincent Kompany at the end of the season.
As the City coach said last summer, it is his job ‘to help him develop, to not discriminate in how he wants to play, to help him be more aggressive, how he has to drive to the ball, how he has to pass quicker.’
Barcelona had just re-signed a 21-year-old Gerard Pique when Guardiola took his first managerial role, and he was trusted in a dozen games including the Champions League final as he soaked up the experience of Carles Puyol and Rafa Marquez.
Having turned into one of the game’s best centre-backs, Pique credits his former manager for changing his understanding of football – although it would not be until his third year with Guardiola that he was a regular in the team.
City’s boss now faces a similar, if not tougher, challenge with Stones. He has had a year already and some progress has been made. The former Barnsley defender looked to be growing in confidence and understanding before his injury in the last third of the campaign.
However, neither extra competition nor being played out of position with England would help the individual and collective battle to get to grips with changing demands. Stones needs to convince Guardiola sooner rather than later if he is to clear the path for his potential with club and country.