WHO, for your money, is the most fascinating footballer in the Premier League?
For this dubious honour, that contains equal amounts of curse and blessing, Paul Pogba comes to mind and how can he not when the French midfielder garners so many column inches? Failing Pogba, what about Mesut Ozil, with his occasional flashes of ethereal genius largely hidden beneath a cloak of invisibility. As a nation, we have, after all always been drawn to fair-weather brilliance. It confounds us and by confounding us it captivates us also. Using a different metric, Raheem Sterling is a contender too though much of his intrigue lay in being grossly misunderstood and thankfully that is far less the case these days.
None of these players, however, come close to John Stones, a defender who holds up a mirror to England and asks her what she believes in and what she ultimately wants to be. The 25-year-old Barnsley Beckenbauer sparks passionate discourse and eludes definitive definition. He throws us off-guard and if you think Pogba does this and more then consider this: the Manchester United diva merely divides opinion and hell even the perfectly conventional Jordan Henderson manages to do that, with some Liverpool fans rating him and others not. Whereas Stones splits an individual’s thoughts in two like a ripe melon. He divides ourselves.
Just class from John Stones #ManchesterCity pic.twitter.com/OSi4lOfK7T
— Keda (@Keda_92) July 9, 2019
Take Jamie Redknapp who back in November of last year spoke in lavish terms about the Manchester City star’s performances after five consecutive starts alongside Aymeric Laporte. The pundit declared it a ‘dream pairing’ with Stones coming in for special praise. He was ‘world class’. He was ‘a Rolls Royce at the back’. “It used to rankle when Stones was criticised for dwelling too long in possession, for trying to play out from the back rather than clear the danger,” he continued.
Fast forward to England’s Nations League semi-final loss to Holland last month and Redknapp’s comments must have rankled his own ears. “There are mistakes that we’ve been talking about with John Stones for a while. When you’re playing at this level you can’t take liberties; you have to do things right. So when you’re in a position to give it back to your goalkeeper, just give it to him.”
Highlighting this volte-face is not intended as a sideswipe by the way. For one thing, Redknapp is very much a pundit who speaks in the moment; for another, he is hardly alone in displaying double standards when it comes to evaluating City’s number 5.
Just class from John Stones #ManchesterCity pic.twitter.com/OSi4lOfK7T
— Keda (@Keda_92) July 9, 2019
I myself have been guilty of similar contradiction and in a significantly shorter period than seven months. On many occasions I have watched with rising panic as Stones – straight of back and cool as you like – retains possession inside his own penalty area with forwards on high alert and as he stands to assess his options, the ball stationary beneath his foot I want to shout instructions I don’t even believe in. “Hoof it for the love of Dave Bassett,” I want to holler, the words catching in my throat as the nature of being raised on route one momentarily usurps Pep’s nurturing ways.
But then the ball is incisively played through the press and I smugly turn to the away end. As if I was in on the ruse the whole time. As if I never doubted for an instant.
That’s what John Stones does: he makes hypocrites of his backers and fools of his critics. Most pertinently of all he never changes; we do, depending on whether his playing out from the back comes off, which almost all of the time it does.
Thoughts on John Stones?
Think he's in a tough position personally…
Not sure Pep fully trusts him and the lack of starts from Xmas – May looked to have affected him in the Nations League. pic.twitter.com/6sHbrV2fjE
— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) June 30, 2019
Still, though he splits us, and possibly too even Guardiola, the high priest of Stone’s faith. In the past two seasons, Stones has enjoyed prolonged spells of prominence only to be cast to the periphery, reportedly out of favour. Why is this? Could even the feted extremist of progressive defending find his most extravagant practitioner of it a little…out there?
We will find out the answer to this in the weeks and months to come because while all summer long the ever decreasing circle of City’s pursuit of Harry Maguire has dominated headlines and thoughts Blues now turn their attention on what they have. Laporte, Stones and Otamendi make up the centre-back roster with Fernandinho expected to drop back when needed and almost certainly the first choice partnership will be the Spaniard and continental Englishman. For this to work sustained excellence is required from a player who has previously only shown himself capable of that for chunks at a time. Maybe compromise – just a smidgeon – wouldn’t go amiss either.
Returning quickly to Redknapp’s words it has long been the norm to compare John Stones’ playing style to that of a Rolls Royce. Several years ago an Evertonian damned his centre-back on a forum by saying he was ‘a Rolls Royce without brakes’. At the beginning of last year, the Mail said he was a ‘Rolls Royce with exhaust problems’.
Should the most unapologetically modern of all defenders be an automatic starter as City fight on four fronts across nine gruelling months then what Pep Guardiola is doing is entering a Rolls Royce in an endurance race akin to Le Mans.
If nothing else it will be a fascinating watch.
