Gary Lineker believes John Stones’ ability to play his signature hybrid role exemplifies his “extreme intelligence.”
Micah Richards claimed that the 29-year-old could emerge as a “secret weapon” for both club and country in his role.
While it has always seemed like Stones had the technical ability to play in midfield one day, he was rarely trusted by Pep Guardiola to do so before last season.
Gary Lineker says John Stones shows “extreme intelligence” to execute hybrid role
But ever since John Stones has made the hybrid role his own, Gary Lineker has credited him for the intelligence he shows to pull off such a complex set of responsibilities on the pitch.
“At times, he was like playing up front! And then he was in midfield and then…it’s just the awareness of when to go and obviously, he’s got players who will cover in for him”, he said about the Manchester City defender on The Rest Is Football podcast.
Lineker continued. “But what it does is it makes him really difficult to mark for the opposition and obviously, Pep’s [Guardiola] has conjured up this madness and this brilliance in his genius mind. Obviously, if he goes in a certain position, if he goes forward, maybe [Mateo] Kovacic is covering him and this and that and this.”
“But to have confidence yourself to just go willy-nilly into whatever area of the pitch he wants shows not only extreme intelligence but also the courage of your convictions to do that and obviously, you have to have the support of your manager particularly in that role.”
John Stones proves the importance of footballing intelligence
Gary Lineker is spot on about John Stones, who has proven to be an extremely astute footballer over time.
While several footballers are physical specimens, Stones’ rise proves that to be in and amongst the best of the best for a sustained period of time, developing a top footballing brain is imperative.
As a result, despite not being the quickest or the strongest, the England international manages to stay a step ahead of several world-class attackers, be it in the Premier League, the Champions League or even at international level.
Such has been the case for several seasons in the highly-rated centre-back’s case for both Manchester City and England.
At this point, one would not put it past John Stones to play in any role on the pitch if he has the suitable profile to do so as his footballing IQ is arguably one of, if not the best in the game currently.
