5 | John Stones - 2022/23

Status
Not open for further replies.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that he was no longer playing inverted full back, but “shuttle CB,” and it was greatly helping him not be caught out of position.

Recovering 10 yards back versus making the diagonal run from RM to RB, often against a rabbit winger who has the drop on you, makes it almost impossible to do both jobs well.

Playing this shuttle role (step up, step back) not only gives him greater control of his defensive space, but helps him time his moves forward.

Tonight, he was sublime, but let’s not ignore the fact that Akanji, Dias and Ake are ALLOWING him to play this role so effectively. His vision, aided by the FACT that he is the best, most accurate, passer in the PL, is not only creating a better offense, but is (in concert with Rodri) blunting opposition offensive actions.

Pep has played a master stroke by bringing Stones along gradually, as able, and introducing him to the role from RB and now CB.

As others have stated, if Stonesy can stay fit, he can be the best in the world at what he does. His interplay has improved dramatically in the cut and thrust middle of the park, where the quick control and pass that Rodri has perfected, is being learned very, very quickly by Stonesy.

There is NO-ONE this team can’t pull apart with a fit and firing midfield of Stones, Rodri, KDB & Gundo. Throw in the ease and flexibility with which we can transition from 4-3-3 to 3-4-3 to 4-4-2 to 3-2-2-3 and the team is bordering on the ridiculous.

We are hitting our stride at EXACTLY the right time. Now, it’s a matter of keeping the 16 players fit. Stones got an ankle knock, KDB overstretched awkwardly and tweaked his hip/top of his leg as it slipped out from under him. There may be others who got knocks (Jack gets at least 3 per game!) but they all seemed in good shape at the end.

MASSIVE four games ahead!!!!
 
Last edited:
ChicagoBlue said:
I mentioned a few weeks ago that he was no longer playing inverted full back, but “shuttle CB,” and it was greatly helping him not be caught out of position.

Recovering 10 yards back versus making the diagonal run from RM to RB, often against a rabbit winger who has the drop on you, makes it almost impossible to do both jobs well.

Playing this shuttle role (step up, step back) not only gives him greater control of his defensive space, but helps him time his moves forward.

Tonight, he was sublime, but let’s not ignore the fact that Akanji, Dias and Ake are ALLOWING him to play this role so effectively. His vision, aided by the FACT that he is the best, most accurate, passer in the PL, is not only creating a better offense, but is (in concert with Rodri) blunting opposition offensive actions.

Pep has played a master stroke by bringing Stones along gradually, as able, and introducing him to the role from RB and now CB.

As others have stated, if Stonesy can stay fit, he can be the best in the world at what he does. His interplay has improved dramatically in the cut and thrust middle of the park, where the quick control and pass that Rodri has perfected, is being learned very, very quickly by Stonesy.

There is NO-ONE this team can’t pull apart with a fit and firing midfield of Stones, Rodri, KDB & Gundo. Throw in the ease and flexibility with which we can transition from 4-3-3 to 3-4-3 to 4-4-2 to 3-2-2-3 is bordering on the ridiculous.

We are hitting our stride at EXACTLY the right time. Now, it’s a matter of keeping the 16 players fit. Stones got an ankle knock, KDB overstretched awkwardly and tweaked his hip/top of his leg as it slipped out from under him. There may be others who got knocks (Jack gets at least 3 per game!) but they all seemed in good shape at the end.

MASSIVE four games ahead!!!!
Click to expand...
Everything you wrote is perfect. So you think that within this new system there's a further evolution to be had in that instead of stones coming into midfield from RB, he comes from CB? That's such a great way as in possession the RB/CB hybrid which is Akanji would narrow to form the back 3 while stones pushes up, as opposed to stones coming across into midfield while the 3 CB's push across.
 
MaskedAguero10 said:
Everything you wrote is perfect. So you think that within this new system there's a further evolution to be had in that instead of stones coming into midfield from RB, he comes from CB? That's such a great way as in possession the RB/CB hybrid which is Akanji would narrow to form the back 3 while stones pushes up, as opposed to stones coming across into midfield while the 3 CB's push across.
Click to expand...
Cheers! I wrote a few weeks ago that we were playing him this way, but then next game he went back to RB and I thought it might have been a one off. That said, it’s clear it is preferred for him to step up from the middle of the park and it is going to take resting Akanji or Stones to get Walker OR Lewis back on the field.

With Lewis, the early promise was stratospheric, but the number of times he got caught on the ball in his last couple of games must have been a concern for Pep. He can clearly play the inverted role better than Walker, but Walker can play the RCB position much better (if Akanji got injured) and can bomb down the line better.

It will be interesting to see both who and how we play if there is an injury to any of A-D-A across the back. Laporte is an obvious choice to step in, but he is a more natural LCB than anything else, and with Dias & Ake playing so well, he just can’t get a look in!
 
ChicagoBlue said:
Cheers! I wrote a few weeks ago that we were playing him this way, but then next game he went back to RB and I thought it might have been a one off. That said, it’s clear it is preferred for him to step up from the middle of the park and it is going to take resting Akanji or Stones to get Walker OR Lewis back on the field.

With Lewis, the early promise was stratospheric, but the number of times he got caught on the ball in his last couple of games must have been a concern for Pep. He can clearly play the inverted role better than Walker, but Walker can play the RCB position much better (if Akanji got injured) and can bomb down the line better.

It will be interesting to see both who and how we play if there is an injury to any of A-D-A across the back. Laporte is an obvious choice to step in, but he is a more natural LCB than anything else, and with Dias & Ake playing so well, he just can’t get a look in!
Click to expand...
Interesting.. I think if Ake gets Injured then that would be the biggest issue in our 4 CB system. Ake is a CB but he has a specific skillset that allows him to play LB areas and even help grealish in terms of overlaps and attacking sequences. Basically he's nimble enough to play isolated defending against wingers 1v1 wide. All that + his regular CB play as well makes him invaluable to our system. Also another thing is has pep ever tried to play a left footer in the central CB slot that Dias currently plays?
 
bobom said:
I felt he was always a bit over hyped. But this season, and especially in this new position, he's been a much better player than I ever thought he could become. Just terrific.
Click to expand...

Did you think that when him and Dias won the league playing at the back?

He’s been brilliant for a few years now
 
What more to say about this guy? Whether he's asked to play his natural CB, playing wider as a RB, or playing as an inverted FB as a pseudo-DM, he has excelled and did what he's asked to his best.

Brilliant, brilliant player.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top
✖
  AdBlock Detected
Bluemoon relies on advertising to pay our hosting fees. Please support the site by disabling your ad blocking software to help keep the forum sustainable. Thanks.