John Stones is one of the best defenders of his generation. Now he is also regarded as one of the best midfielders too. He won’t admit it himself, though, and it still surprises him to some extent when he watches clips back and realises that he is the sky-blue figure, elegantly trapping the ball and gliding past opponents as if they were frozen in time.
The 29-year-old is understated about his own achievements and the key role he played as an individual in City’s greatest-ever side last season. It’s not because he is trying to be self-aware, but simply because he is so modest.
Whether you call him the Barnsley Beckenbauer or the Barnsley Busquets, he is just John Stones. The down-to-earth and friendly footballer who arrived at City as a rough diamond and who has been refined into a priceless gem of a player by Pep Guardiola.
John Stones said: “I don’t know what to say when people say this about Beckenbauer! He (Pep) expects a lot from us as centre-halves to start play from our build-up. It’s rewarding as well when you see it come off and when you train it over and over and over, what he wants from you, and then how you see it play out, and we create chances from our own goal kick. It just comes as second nature what you should do, and then obviously there’s fine tweaks. I absolutely love it, I’m learning, every year there’s something new, he knows everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, and that’s why we rotate so much because he feels that player or that team that he puts out is the best to beat the opposition. As a defender, it’s very demanding, extremely rewarding, and I always say that when you’re happy in anything, you enjoy it more. I think at the minute the players, me, I’m happy, and that’s when you can express yourself more.”
Stones still loves the defensive side of the game and celebrates a last-ditch sliding tackle as much as a goal, but now he is a more refined and well-rounded player who poses a genuine threat much further up the pitch. Last season was all about his transition into a midfield role, one of the key managerial masterstrokes that makes Guardiola the greatest of his generation. It’s a position he played a bit in as a child learning his trade in South Yorkshire, and one that Guardiola believed he could play again.
John Stones said: “He didn’t say much to me, to be fair. I think I can only go back to what I said about strengths and weaknesses, and maybe he could see me playing in that role, which I did do a few times in certain different circumstances, but without it being a permanent role when we’ve got the ball as it is now. I think what my attributes are and what I could bring to that role, he saw that he could simplify it and help me improve and get better in that system.”
It’s impossible to put into words just how much of an influence Guardiola has had on Stones in the seven years they’ve spent together, a running theme amongst those who have played under him. The England international always thought he had a pretty thorough understanding of the game and how it all worked. That changed when he met his new manager.
John Stones said: “I say it all the time. I thought I knew football to a decent degree and understood the game. Pep made me feel like I knew nothing; he’s opened my eyes to so much; he’s kind of reinvented my brain towards football and what football is.”
There were understandably a few doubts over Stones’ suitability for the midfield role on a long-term basis, but he has relished the learning curve and the opportunity to add more to his game. He always had the ball-playing skills and dribbling ability to make it work, though the key to his success has been his awareness and the gradual experience that helped him adapt to different scenarios.
John Stones said: “I think that the biggest thing and one of the most difficult things for me is that I haven’t got that 360-degree vision, but I feel more now that I do. That’s from learning where to receive the ball and how to receive the ball in certain situations, to give me that comfort of knowing what’s in my surroundings. That was one of the things at the start where I was playing a little bit more safe or in a situation where the ball was coming maybe quick or in a tight area I wasn’t looking to turn out because nine out of 10 times I probably lose a ball but then learning how to receive it, my body shape, timing, moving to get to receive the ball, all little things like that. The guys that are playing there or are No.10s have done it all their lives, and they had this 360-degree vision without even looking; David Silva, for example, knew where everyone else was without even looking.”
Stones certainly had the raw natural talent to make the position change work, but just as important was the extra work he did behind the scenes on his game. Whether it was analysing match footage of himself or researching the finer details of the role, he worked diligently to ensure he’d be the best possible version of himself for it. Asked if he had noticed an improvement in his overall game as a result,
John Stones added: “I feel I have. I think that comes with time spent playing there, learning different scenarios, and it’s obviously different against different teams, how they press. When I think of it like that, there are so many factors that come into it, and then it’s down to me to know where to receive the ball and how I can get out of certain situations. It’s something I’m definitely looking to improve on; it makes my game easier if I can get that skill and quality within myself and then be allowed to go and show my own attributes.”
Stones is the perfect embodiment of the new City, one that can do the pretty stuff just as well as they can do the gritty stuff. Gone are the days when they used to be accused of playing nice football but having a soft centre that let them down in the big moments. The final months of last season were the perfect evidence of a team that knows how to win in a variety of ways, something Stones has seen develop throughout his eight years at the club.
John Stones said: “I think it’s clicked, and it takes time for players and a team to find that, and I think with the defensive mentality and the defensive record that we’ve now got, it does take time to get to that stage. I suppose there is a bit of nastiness in there, which I say in the best way possible, but I think with what players we’ve got and what we’ve learned from Pep and how he wants us to play, I think we all understand it so well that when we go out on the pitch, we know these different scenarios, we know how each other plays, and we know in vital moments with and without the ball what to do. I think that is one: something that takes time; two, it needs to be within you; and three, executing it as a team and putting all those things together.”
You only have to go back to April, when a trophyless season seemed just as possible as a treble-winning one, but as the momentum grew, so did the self-belief that something special could be on the cards. City were only able to accomplish that by staying so focused during those high-pressure situations, the culmination of years of hard work from everyone associated with the club.
John Stones said: “There’s something in the air here; as soon as I came, it sounds strange, but I can’t put my finger on it. There are certain times, or periods, that are even more special because everyone is just… I don’t know, something inside them that’s a winner, or something comes out, and I think everyone’s got it, but I can’t say what it is, but it all comes together, and we just seem to go on runs. We’re always there or thereabouts, pushing and fighting. There’s something… I don’t know if we were born with it or if it’s a mentality thing; I don’t know, and it just seems to come out, and we push on, and we’ve won endless trophies from critical situations.”
It is impossible to ignore the impact of Erling Haaland on all of this. A year ago, there were very real doubts about whether or not he’d be able to hack it in the Premier League. Now the question is whether any defence will ever be able to tame his extraterrestrial talent. Stones has so much admiration for his superstar teammate, and there is an extra element of affection given that he is a fellow Yorkshireman, by birth at least. He’s even mastered the accent.
John Stones said: “It’s perfect! He’s cracked it. All the Yorkshire boys keep telling him he was born in Leeds, so we’ve adopted him back. Erling, as a character, is massive for the team; at any opportunity, he’s doing something funny. The amount of clips I’ve seen of him after someone scored or something, just being Erling last season, there’s one where he’s getting the crowd going after he had a little duel with someone. Little moments like that are brilliant for us as players; it lifts us and show us that he’s there and wants to fight for everything. I hope this season we can have all those little bits and pieces that we did, celebrating little defensive things or Erling and doing things like that. It all adds up to being a big part of our game.”
Another key component of the City squad is his fellow countyman, Kyle Walker. The 33-year-old is one of the most experienced players at the club, but his future remains in doubt amid interest from Bayern Munich in his signature.He is not the same mainstay in the side as he once was, but he still has such a unique role to play with his specialist skillset as a full-back.
John Stones said: “I think as a servant to the club, he’s incredible, and country. What he brings to us as a team, on and off the pitch, is an incredible character and person to be around; everyone loves him. His presence and what he brings to us as a defensive unit are massive, as is his experience; you can’t buy that experience. I honestly can’t speak highly enough of him as a player. The speed, the strength, reading situations, and I think his attacking threat as well, the unselfish nature of him for the lads on the wing making overlaps unselfishly and not getting the ball from Bernardo, they don’t pass it to him. You can see him get frustrated with them! But yeah, he’s been a massive player for us, and what he still continues to bring on and off the pitch is huge for us as players and as a club, 100 per cent. We created a great friendship, bond, when I first came, he kind of took me under his wing a little bit, and we are just probably two different people that clicked somehow. We spent a lot of time together when he was here, and I only texted him the other day; we probably Facetime a few times a month just to see him. Over the summer, I saw him when I was on holiday. I’d love to see him more; I wish he’d stayed longer, but I couldn’t convince him. He’s an incredible person again, very understated as a person in how he acts and how he conducts himself off the pitch, and I think everyone knows what he does on the pitch as well. I’m super sad to know that he got a bad injury and it’s finished like that. He left me a little book in my locker when he left. It’s a Spain National Team book; he wrote a little message in it because he always used to joke with me that maybe one day I’ll get a World Cup and two Euros. If I go through my chat, he just sends me pictures of it all the time.”
Having just won a treble, Stones won’t be giving up on those dreams just yet. He’ll make sure Silva knows all about it if he does.
