5 | John Stones - 2023/24

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bluenova said:
I thought that the other day - it's the irony that he's become so good at progressing with the ball, that he's now getting in positions where he needs to learn another new role!
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Yeah, i was thinking he’ll start scoring a few soon. Just needs to sharpen up slightly when in the box!
 
supercity88 said:
He's fucking class!!! I've become so used to him just running the midfield with Rodri, despite being a CB that I'm now criticising him for not playing through balls or taking a shot on as if he's De Bruyne!!!
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It is incredible though just how jarring some of his attempted passes are. Like someone play a very loud wrong note in the middle of a concerto.

Sometimes he'll hit what looks like a pretty standard through ball or attacking pass for a creative midfielder, get it all wrong, give the ball away etc. and suddenly I remember his limitations, and you realise that these players who are around the box in attacking midfield are there for a reason, and it's because they can make those passes that normal players can't.

I wonder how much he'd have improved at passing if he'd been fit to play the whole season.
 
domalino said:
It is incredible though just how jarring some of his attempted passes are. Like someone play a very loud wrong note in the middle of a concerto.

Sometimes he'll hit what looks like a pretty standard through ball or attacking pass for a creative midfielder, get it all wrong, give the ball away etc. and suddenly I remember his limitations, and you realise that these players who are around the box in attacking midfield are there for a reason, and it's because they can make those passes that normal players can't.

I wonder how much he'd have improved at passing if he'd been fit to play the whole season.
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For me it's the pace of his play around the box that I find jarring, and again it's because of the fact he's a CB and not one of our attacking midfielders so I mean it as no criticism. The ball will come into him and often it's slightly stuck under his feet and he'll take two or three passes and then lay it back to the person who passed to him. As you say, it just makes you appreciate how good our attacking midfielders are when they can take one touch to not only control it, but get themselves moving in the right direction to carry/pass the ball on.

He's still getting up to speed so I'm sure we'll see some general improvement as he continues to get used to the role. Ultimately it's more important that he retains possession than becomes better in the attacking third. He's there to create space for our other players fundamentally and create overloads. If he can improve in the final third then he'll still have to be disciplined but its an evolution of our game that's pretty fucking exciting.

I'm also excited about the prospect of Gvardiol playing that role in a few years. He's as comfortable on the ball and probably has slightly better vision and potential in the final third that Stonesy, but whether he can be as comfortable finding space to receive the ball and to create more for others is the question. I'm certain one of the reasons we bought him is that versatility to his game though.
 
supercity88 said:
For me it's the pace of his play around the box that I find jarring, and again it's because of the fact he's a CB and not one of our attacking midfielders so I mean it as no criticism. The ball will come into him and often it's slightly stuck under his feet and he'll take two or three passes and then lay it back to the person who passed to him. As you say, it just makes you appreciate how good our attacking midfielders are when they can take one touch to not only control it, but get themselves moving in the right direction to carry/pass the ball on.

He's still getting up to speed so I'm sure we'll see some general improvement as he continues to get used to the role. Ultimately it's more important that he retains possession than becomes better in the attacking third. He's there to create space for our other players fundamentally and create overloads. If he can improve in the final third then he'll still have to be disciplined but its an evolution of our game that's pretty fucking exciting.

I'm also excited about the prospect of Gvardiol playing that role in a few years. He's as comfortable on the ball and probably has slightly better vision and potential in the final third that Stonesy, but whether he can be as comfortable finding space to receive the ball and to create more for others is the question. I'm certain one of the reasons we bought him is that versatility to his game though.
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For me John is like a Rolls Royce an absolute diamond of a player.
 
eastmanc said:
For me John is like a Rolls Royce an absolute diamond of a player.
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I don't think there's anyone out there who can watch him play and not agree! I watched a few youtube videos of him earlier and to be fair he's probably still getting up to speed in the position again this season - he was much sharper in attacking areas than I was giving him credit for. The criticism I'm giving him is quite ridiculous, but just noting there's a potential improvement in his game, if we want even more, in the final third. I'm basically asking him to be Dias, Rodri and De Bruyne all rolled into one...but why not!
 
supercity88 said:
I don't think there's anyone out there who can watch him play and not agree! I watched a few youtube videos of him earlier and to be fair he's probably still getting up to speed in the position again this season - he was much sharper in attacking areas than I was giving him credit for. The criticism I'm giving him is quite ridiculous, but just noting there's a potential improvement in his game, if we want even more, in the final third. I'm basically asking him to be Dias, Rodri and De Bruyne all rolled into one...but why not!
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It would help if he wasn't made of glass. On Sunday when he went down, every Blue was holding their collective breaths until he got up and the cheer as he stood you showed us what regard he's held in.
 
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