- Stones hailed Man City boss
- Thriving in his new midfield role
- Admitted that he struggled to adapt to it
WHAT HAPPENED? The England defender has been left amazed by Guardiola's football brain. After joining in 2016 from Everton, he was used as a centre back and he flourished alongside Ruben Dias at the heart of defence. But more recently, he has been shifted to the role of a defensive midfielder with the three other defenders positioned more narrowly to nullify potential threats from counterattacks. Guardiola trusted him with the new responsibility and the defender hailed his manager for helping him settle and improve in the system.
WHAT THEY SAID: "I thought I knew football to a decent degree when I came. Pep made me feel like I knew nothing. He’s opened my eyes to so much, he’s kind of reinvented my brain. Being a defender for Pep is so rewarding. He expects a lot from us to start play and it’s rewarding when you have trained over and over, what he wants, and you see how it plays out. I absolutely love it, I’m learning. Every year there’s something new," he stated in an interview with Daily Mail.
"I had done the role a few times in certain different circumstances but without it being permanent as it is now. He saw with my attributes that he could simplify it and help me improve and get better in that system," he added.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Although Stones has flourished as a holding midfielder, he admitted that the transition was not easy at all and he had to "mould and learn" to understand the nuances of the role.
"The guys who play there have done it all their life and they have this 360 vision without even looking. David (Silva) for example, he knew where everyone else was without even looking. Little things like that I had to mould and learn and watch myself back quite a bit.
"The 360 thing was the most difficult for me. I haven’t got that. I feel I do more now but that’s from learning where to receive the ball and how to receive it in certain situations. That was one of the things at the start where I was playing a little bit safer. In a situation where the ball was coming quickly or in a tight area, I wasn’t looking to turn out because nine out of 10 times I would probably lose the ball," he explained.
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GettyWHAT NEXT? After winning a historic treble in the 2022-23 campaign, Stones has an opportunity to start the new season with another silverware as they are set to take on Arsenal in the FA Community Shield final on Sunday at Wembley.