I had been confused as to why we were chasing so many new center backs when both fullback positions seemed so in need of investment, but I think we will see Stones play RB a fair amount for us next season and beyond. I had read that Pep believes the winger and fullback should never play in the same vertical plane, that is if you have a fullback that plays wide and overlaps a lot, the winger needs to tuck inside more often and provide the midfield with support. Alternatively, with wingers that hug the touchline until the final third the fullback is required to play closer to the midfield.
At Bayern, both Alaba and Lahm tended to tuck in and the wingers were very wide to stretch the opposition, and you would see a lot of quick switches of the ball from side to side. Stones would play very well in that role, although like Alaba he will also play CB often. That versatility would make him a really good fit for us. We may also see the same of Laporte on the left which explains the summer's approach to buying so many CBs and maybe not selling Mangala and hopefully promoting Denayer.
GK- Hart
RB - Stones
CB - VK
CB - Mangala
LB - Laporte
Pivote - Gundogan
CM#8 - Fernandinho
CM #10 - KDB
RW - Sane
LW - Sterling
CF - Kun
Perhaps we could look like this sometimes, and play Clichy or Sagna partnered with Silva on the left or right in the event we want a winger who plays closer to the middle and our fullback to play with more width.
