City fans writing John Stones off too early?

[cleavers]

He's one of a small army of our players that's absolutely amazing when confident, but for their own reasons consistently struggle for confidence.

Mendy, Sterling, Jesus, Bernardo are currently the others.

I don't think any of those you mention "struggle for confidence" at all, what they struggle for is consistency, I'd say all of them are full of confidence in their own abilities, but they make silly errors, the 2 forwards its usually a silly missed chance, Bernardo struggles to find a position in the team, good enough for many, but 2nd or 3rd best for most, that's not confidence, its being used (by Pep) to fill too many positions, Mendy has a wonderful talent, as he showed last Thursday, but he lacks full match concentration. Stones, as many have said, is a very talented defender, but he similarly lacks concentration, but he lets a silly mistake affect him badly, and more importantly doesn't seem to be able to stay fit for more than 2 or 3 games, and so he just can't be relied on.

 

[blueparrot]

I don't think any of those you mention "struggle for confidence" at all, what they struggle for is consistency, I'd say all of them are full of confidence in their own abilities, but they make silly errors, the 2 forwards its usually a silly missed chance, Bernardo struggles to find a position in the team, good enough for many, but 2nd or 3rd best for most, that's not confidence, its being used (by Pep) to fill too many positions, Mendy has a wonderful talent, as he showed last Thursday, but he lacks full match concentration. Stones, as many have said, is a very talented defender, but he similarly lacks concentration, but he lets a silly mistake affect him badly, and more importantly doesn't seem to be able to stay fit for more than 2 or 3 games, and so he just can't be relied on.

Agree with most of that, though Stones recovered from his silly mistake in the League cup final to have a good game. He doesn't seem to be able to go many games without the next silly mistake though, maybe a run without injury would help, but though I had high hopes for him this season has caused me to give up. That said still think he can have a good career somewhere that he can establish himself as a first choice and for his and our sake the best now is for him to move on.

 

[Double R]

But he cant stay fit, and this is a fast moving club that waits for no passengers.

 

[ManCitizens.]

Look at a few of his photos during games this season, there’s absolutely no way the bags under his eyes aren’t from drinking.

Isn’t his new wag and her mates in with Cleverley and Wes Brown crowd? It really wouldn’t surprise me if he was partying all the time.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

It’s telling he hasn’t been close to the first team since we came back despite being fit enough for the bench in the last couple of weeks. Personally I think Pep has had enough of him and his error in the CC final was the last straw.

 

[salfordbluetrue]

I don't think any of those you mention "struggle for confidence" at all, what they struggle for is consistency, I'd say all of them are full of confidence in their own abilities, but they make silly errors, the 2 forwards its usually a silly missed chance, Bernardo struggles to find a position in the team, good enough for many, but 2nd or 3rd best for most, that's not confidence, its being used (by Pep) to fill too many positions, Mendy has a wonderful talent, as he showed last Thursday, but he lacks full match concentration. Stones, as many have said, is a very talented defender, but he similarly lacks concentration, but he lets a silly mistake affect him badly, and more importantly doesn't seem to be able to stay fit for more than 2 or 3 games, and so he just can't be relied on.

It may well be that as good a player that Pep believes Stones to be, his body can not play the high back line

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Great OP. I remain adamant that no player of ours receives more underserved and unfair criticism than John Stones. It borders on the ridiculous a lot of the time.

He is definitely good enough for this team and has proven that beyond doubt. I'm sticking by him to bounce back next season.

There's always gotta be one player folk will have a go at - and even though he is a talented player he can always dig out a dinkyzinky so that we end up with a little sinky! He's the sort of player who needs to be in the starting eleven, playing well, but seems to get too many minor knocks, like the Fabulous Delph (apparent Fab is still on the treatment table at Goodison)! He needs a couple of good seasons with M. Laporte and Garcia keeping the journeyman hordes at bay

 

[Mike Cledford]

Ha! Yeh the England players started it, all my rag mates call him Slab head.

I suppose you have to have a sense of humour to play under Southgate and Ole.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

I keep reading Stones being completely written off.

But if we’re going to win the Champions League this season, I think he’s absolutely key to it.

People forget he started more games than Kompany in the Centurions season. And started 50% more games than Kompany in the Domestic Treble season.

He was easily England’s best centre back in the World Cup and was an automatic starter, way ahead of Slab Head.

He’s easily our best defender on the ball and our build up play from the back invariably starts with him.

He’s got an incredible record alongside Laporte, they complement each other so well. Laporte attacks on the front foot, allowing Stones to sweep in behind.

He’s not capable of leading the line himself, and should never play alongside Otamendi ever again. But alongside Laporte, that’s a combination with a proven track record of winning big games and winning trophies.

I like Garcia, and don’t mind Otamendi as a 4th choice back up. Fernandinho is a City legend, but we’ve never looked entirely comfortable with him at centre back.

I just can’t see us going all the way to winning the CL with any of those at centre back.

But Stones alongside Laporte, if they can both stay fit and in form, they’re the best chance we’ve got.

I find the criticism that both Stones and Gundogan receive to very often be undeserved and a bit strange.

Same with Kolarov and Clichy.

It’s like there has to be a scapegoat, there always has to be someone in the squad that a section of the fans have to be seen to dislike. These sort of fans are like a bit of a subculture amongst our overall support. Like it’s cool to hate a player.

Gundogan especially, when played in defensive midfield, has barely put a foot wrong at all in a blue shirt. I can’t remember a bad game he’s had in defensive mid and very often he’s one of our better players, and was the best player in our squad and rated by Opta as the best player in Europe from February to May last season.

Yet look at the reaction on here when he’s been selected by Pep, listen to the reaction to his name being called out at the game when the teams are being read out when he’s in the team, listen to the criticism he receives for any sort of bad pass compared to others who do the same thing a dozen times a game each, read the post-match comments about him even when he’s played well.

I thought the one player we missed the most on Sunday was Gundogan, not Agüero.

It was the same with both Kolarov and Clichy, and John Stones too.

Kompany was full of mistakes, Laporte is too. They’re defenders, they all do it as often as strikers miss chances.

Kompany:
Watford away last season - people raised the question that Kompany’s injuries had caught up with him after such a poor performance.
United away three years ago in the EFL Cup, absolutely woeful performance.
A mistake away at [Burnley, was it? Maybe Palace, can’t remember now] where he went missing out of the back line on the half way line trying to make a tackle and they bypassed him and scored.
Liverpool away scuff to Coutinho.
Scuffed half volley into his own net at Fulham.
There are probably a dozen more if I really thought about it.

Laporte:
Looked all over the shop at Southampton on Sunday - poor pass to Zinchenko for their goal, two scuffed panic clearances
Performance against Spurs in the CL at home last season - at fault for two and involved in all three of Spurs’ goals.
There'll be more if I really thought about it.

Stones makes a mistake or has a bad game and the level of criticism aimed at him compared to others who have equally bad games or even higher profile mistakes is much higher.

None of Stones, Gundogan, Kolarov or Clichy have had long sustained runs of poor form like Sterling did this season, in their entire City careers. Yet look at the difference in our reaction and analysis to them for one bad game or even just one mistake, and the way Sterling seems to be given a free pass for poor performances for months on end.

Stones made one mistake for Newcastle’s first goal back in November and it was talked about more than his full 90minute performance against Chelsea - arguably one of the best individual performances of the season by anyone.

 

[Shaelumstash]

Agree with most of that, though Stones recovered from his silly mistake in the League cup final to have a good game. He doesn't seem to be able to go many games without the next silly mistake though, maybe a run without injury would help, but though I had high hopes for him this season has caused me to give up. That said still think he can have a good career somewhere that he can establish himself as a first choice and for his and our sake the best now is for him to move on.

I agree, I thought he played well in the LC final, but a silly mistake cost us a goal.

Similarly against Palace at home, me and my mate were raving about how good he'd been, brilliant on the ball. Then he makes two monumental fuck ups and got absolutely slaughtered in the press.

Obviously centre halves by nature can't really make silly mistakes and give away goals and be considered to have played well. But when you look at the bigger picture of his all round game, it's generally very good. Particularly alongside Laporte.

He's clearly got the ability and the physicality to be a really top centre half. But it's a mentality issue holding him back. I still think that can be ironed out and hope Pep has not lost faith in him because there's still a top player in there.