Stones could be Dinho’s partner in Lap’s absence
JOHN Stones back in training will have been welcome for Pep Guardiola as he plots City’s latest gauntlet.
Two defeats bookending the last stretch of the season have left the defending champions eight points behind Liverpool, putting more pressure on the upcoming trip to Anfield and games with Crystal Palace (a), Aston Villa (h) and Southampton (h) before that.
City can’t afford any more slip-ups for at least as long as the league leaders stay flawless, and whichever defence is picked will be subjected to scrutiny before a ball is kicked and then tested by the opposition from the off. The lack of understanding between the centre-backs – understandable given Aymeric Laporte almost always makes the team when fit – has been evident.
At Norwich, Stones and Nicolas Otamendi played like a pair that hadn’t started a Premier League game together for six months and the mistakes were costly.
And against Wolves, Fernandinho and Otamendi were caught out on a number of occasions.
Guardiola ideally needs players he can trust, in good individual form, and solid enough in a partnership, but is going to have to choose from what he has got.
In Stones, he has a defender who is not in form having been sidelined until recently with a second injury of the season but the England international has shown his quality before.
More importantly, he has this week on the training pitch with Fernandinho – not part of the Brazil squad for their fixtures over the past fortnight – to build up their connection while the coaching staff keep a close eye and assess the strengths and weaknesses.
With so little time in a season to train properly this week feels like a priceless window for Guardiola to work out whether Stones and Fernandinho can be the go-to partnership in Laporte’s lengthy absence. There are other options, even if none are perfect: Otamendi is the most obvious candidate though would not calm the nerves of many supporters with his tendency to dive, Kyle Walker or Rodri are natural talents but unnatural centre-backs, and it would go against the manager’s previous approach to solving problems were he to pick a youngster. The basis that will surely inform Guardiola’s decision, though, is what he sees in training from Stones from Monday to Friday.
Can Stones show that he is fit and confident enough to be a commanding presence at the back, and has he got the sort of game that can complement Fernandinho?
Whatever the answers, Guardiola should be clearer on his best partnership at the back by the time he names his team for Crystal Palace.