Manchester City are going to be without John Stones for a while again, after the star was substituted off with an injury against BSC Young Boys.
City beat the Swiss outfit 3-0 last night at the Etihad Stadium, with Erling Haaland at the double and Phil Foden also scoring.
It would have been the perfect night. But Speaking straight after the game, Pep Guardiola announced that Stones had picked up another injury.
He suggested the star is going to be out for a while, which is a major shame for him and a big blow for the team.
Guardiola is a huge John Stones fan.
But he’s going to be without the England international for potentially weeks again and the manager will need to work out how best to cover his absence.
Perhaps there is someone he could use in that Stones role, who hasn’t actually been tried there yet…
Josko Gvardiol should now be considered for ‘the John Stones role’ at Manchester City
The John Stones role is a very complex one.
It involves a player sitting deep in midfield and then dropping back into a defensive position when City do not have the ball/are under attack from the opposition.
It also requires the player to actually get forward and support the two attacking midfielders.
The highly intelligent Stones is magnificent in the role, and it’s going to be very hard to find someone who can perform it to a similar standard.
This season, we have seen Manuel Akanji play the role a few times.
As good as Akanji is, he doesn’t really seem comfortable when asked to step into midfield.
Rico Lewis has also been used there in the past, but his short stature may count against him in games against certain players.
Last night, Nathan Ake replaced Stones and had a go. The Dutchman did OK.
No one has really put in a statement performance yet in Stones’ absence.
But one man who might be really well suited to it is City’s most expensive ever defender, Josko Gvardiol.
Quietly, Gvardiol has been absolutely solid so far this season since his big-money move from RB Leipzig. He plays with a real maturity, to the point where you totally forget he is still just 21 years old.
It is actually somewhat surprising Guardiola has not yet tried to use Gvardiol in the Stones role.
The Croatia international is a superb ball-player, as evidenced by his season pass accuracy so far of 90% (via WhoScored).
He’s also a great carrier/dribbler. Last term, he had an 88.9% dribble success rate in the Bundesliga with Leipzig.
Critically, £130,000-a-week star Gvardiol is quite athletic and mobile, which would make him useful in that engine room. The likes of Ake and Akanji are a little clunky.
Pep recently called Gvardiol an ‘incredible professional’, suggesting he has the versatility and tactical understanding to be able to do it.
Gvardiol’s technical quality really could see him thrive in the Stones role. It would be fascinating to see him finally used there.
