Deep Lying Midfield Stones

[SaintColin]

Worked in the treble year, nearly 3 years and since then Stones has even thought of retirement and we’re still doing it.

 

[Sleeping_Easy]

I think fans underestimate the £ value of experience and leadership. He's apparently on 200k/week, I don't think he'll drop much from that.

AHe's only 31, so still got potentially 4/5 more years especially if he's not starting every week and retires from England in a year or 2. More importantly though, he's played 300 games, won 16 trophies, has 10 years of experience under Pep - he'll be our 2nd most experienced player when Bernardo leaves.

You can't just let that walk out of the door for free. Doubly so when the other defenders are so young and inexperienced (Khusanov, Nico, Rico, Gvardiol, Bah, Reis, RAN).

I suspect he'll take a paycut because he's not at his "peak" anymore, but it'd be amazed if the club got mired in a dispute over £3-4 million a year on revenues of £750m.

Not to mention you'd still struggle to find a player better than him for <£60m (although you'd probably get a fit player for that tbf)

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with getting a fit player. I’ve no doubts about him when he’s on the pitch but even keeping him round the squad is pointless unless he’s on the training pitch and not in the treatment room. He's one of my favourite players of this era and will go down as a club legend but you can’t focus too much on sentimentality in football.

As for the players you’ve mentioned him sharing his experience with I think we’re covered for that at the back. Dias and Ake both vastly experienced and gvardiol getting into that bracket as well now. RAN and Nico have both got a lot of experience as well but admittedly not in title challenges. I think we’re alright for experience, we just need minutes on the pitch with them as a unit. A back four of Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol and RAN for me is our best bet

 

[s1ty m]

Stones in the midfield works a treat when Rodri is fully at it. But, then again, everything is great when Rodri is fully at it.

 

[Marvin.]

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with getting a fit player. I’ve no doubts about him when he’s on the pitch but even keeping him round the squad is pointless unless he’s on the training pitch and not in the treatment room. He's one of my favourite players of this era and will go down as a club legend but you can’t focus too much on sentimentality in football.

As for the players you’ve mentioned him sharing his experience with I think we’re covered for that at the back. Dias and Ake both vastly experienced and gvardiol getting into that bracket as well now. RAN and Nico have both got a lot of experience as well but admittedly not in title challenges. I think we’re alright for experience, we just need minutes on the pitch with them as a unit. A back four of Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol and RAN for me is our best bet

He's been available for almost all of this season.

 

[Sleeping_Easy]

He's been available for almost all of this season.

He’s been available for 11 out of 13 games so far. If you average it out over a season that’s about 10 games missed which isn’t too bad. Hopefully he can keep that going because I’d love to have a fit John Stones at the club but like I’ve said in earlier post the evidence suggests that’s not going to be the case unfortunately

 

[Kippax Street 1880]

Biggest myth in the history of Manchester City this. Its worked for about 4 games in 10 years. All next to the best DM in the world with 3 CBs or 2 and Walker.