Tim Sherwood has praised John Stones for his recent form playing in his new role in the Manchester City team.
The Englishman recently completed the full 90 minutes in the Citizens’ 2-1 win over Manchester United in the FA Cup final, playing in midfield.
This performance then caught the attention of one former Premier League manager, who was not shy in sharing his praise for the City player and how he operates in his current role.
Sherwood praises Stones
Speaking on the latest episode of the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Sherwood had this to say about Stones and how his role moving into midfield has helped City become less susceptible to opposition counter-attacks.
He said: “I think Stones helps them with that, in that position where he’s playing now. I was watching him at the weekend when I was at the game.
“It’s so great to see him he was getting on the ball on the half turn, he’s playing, he’s jumping from that position. As soon as someone else jumps in, if Kyle Walker moves forward he just sits in. [Ruben] Dias sees some space, drops in, he drops back, good knowledge of the game and I think he’s helped them just to stop the counter-attack.”
The England international has featured as a defensive-midfielder on certain occasions since April, playing against the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in this position.
Sherwood wasn’t the only pundit who was impressed with Stones’ performance against United at Wembley, with Jamie Carragher saying on Twitter that the Englishman’s display was “sensational.”
He even compared the City star’s efforts in his specific role to the likes of Matthias Sammer and Lothar Matthaus for Germany.
In terms of his defensive work against the Red Devils, the England international not only made two tackles throughout the game, he also managed to win all four duels he was involved in and only gave possession away seven times, leaving only Jack Grealish (6) giving the ball away fewer times.
