I’m starting to fear that Stones isn’t learning
Guardiola’s indulgence may not be the right path for defender
JOHN STONES is at a crossroads in his career. He may only be 22 but he now has to decide whether he wants to be something really special or end up being a defender with whom managers eventually lose patience.
I know that seems unlikely at Manchester City, where he has a manager for whom passing the ball out form the back is sacrosanct. And some will say that he a great environment in which to thrive.
But I’m beginning to fear Stones isn’t learning. Maybe Pep Guardiola isn’t what he needs; it’s almost like the over-indulgent father who never reprimands his son, who consequently never learns appropriate boundaries of behaviour. Stones looks like a player who feel he has to play out of defence on principle, on every occasion, no matter what. And that’s just not the case.
To be clear, when I was England manager I always wanted my defenders to play the ball out. It’s the football I believe in. Only a year ago I said Stones could be a phenomenal talent for England. And he still could be. But Friday night’s game against Scotland exposed him — and a better side would have punished his mistakes and others in the England team.
There are some structural problems with the way England are playing which isn’t helping Stones. He and Gary Cahill are receiving the ball so deep, and in wide positions, it is no wonder they’re struggling under pressure.
I’d want Joe Hart playing out from somewhere between the penalty spot and the edge of the area and the defenders at least ten yards in front of him, as though the team were going to play long. That buys you space. Then, on signal, Stones and Cahill might spin back, dropping deep and wide which makes it much harder for the opposition to press. And if you give it back to the keeper, he is at least on the penalty spot.
The problem is particularly acute with goal-kicks and a lot of teams, Manchester City and Tottenham included, put themselves under a lot of pressure at present. The trick is to lure the centre forward further up the pitch to create your space. If those centre-forwards switch off, you can easily bring the ball out. On Friday, England tried to play out from deep which meant the game was so stretched, almost like a game in the Fifties, from goalline to goalline. Playing deep, you’re immediately detached from your midfield. But it’s not just how England are playing that is a concern. Stones is being caught out too often.
Even when off-balance, he attempts to play little balls inside like a midfielder would. You suspect Guardiola has told him that it’s OK; that building up from the back will make up for one or two errors.
My fear is that by being indulged like that, he’s not learning decisionmaking. If you’re slightly off centre when you receive the ball, then you have to play safer: look for a chan-
nel, play a bit longer. There’s no shame in that. Most of the time you will be able to play out; just not all of the time.
He’s also expecting too much of his team-mates. I had something similar with Ruud Gullit at Chelsea, when Ruud came in to replace me as sweeper in a back three. After a while we realised the central defenders alongside Ruud couldn’t cope. What for him was a situation of marginal difficulty, such as receiving the ball with an attacker bearing down on him, was for them highly stressful.
He gave them the ball in situations where he assumed they could deal with it, but they made mistakes. In the end we switched to a back four and put Ruud in midfield, where players could live better with his expectations of what they could do.
Stones is a little like that. He’s feeding his England team-mates passes in situations where they’re not comfortable. And it’s contributing to overall fragility at the back. Maybe a back three would help. Stones would then receive the ball in a deeper, more central position and play face up. It’s easier to dictate from there.
Gareth Southgate was fortunate Scotland’s finishing was so poor. Against Spain, or any good side, England won’t be allowed as many mistakes. I’d commend England for trying to play this way; and Stones for being the fulcrum. I’m desperate to see him succeed. For now, he needs to learn. And we need to see signs that he is; starting on Tuesday.