Jamie Carragher questioned whether Gareth Southgate would also field John Stones as a hybrid between a right-back and a midfielder after his masterful display against Bayern.
The ex-Everton centre-back managed to even chip with an assist during the contest, and that too courtesy of a brilliant headed onto Erling Haaland for his strike against Thomas Tuchel’s men.
As Jamie Carragher was awestruck by Manchester City defender John Stones’ showing against Bayern Munich, he wondered whether Gareth Southgate would utilise him in a similar capacity.
Carragher asks Southgate Stones question after Bayern masterclass
Since being deployed alongside Rodri in a double pivot, the England international has been flawless, as he possesses the technical quality to play in midfield as well as the defensive nous and positioning to return to right-back effortlessly.
Against the Bundesliga champions as well, Stones, branded as Rio Ferdinand as ‘phenomenal’ was faultless from a defensive perspective whilst being exceptional on the ball as usual.
Jamie Carragher was stunned by how well John Stones performed against Bayern and has since the World Cup, asking Gareth Southgate a key question about his position.
“John Stones’ performances since the World Cup in that hybrid role for Man City have been outstanding, we have spoken for years about England having a centre-back who can step into midfield & dictate the game. That’s what he did tonight, will Southgate do the same?”, he tweeted.
MCN View: Doubtful Southgate will take the same approach
Considering Gareth Southgate goes by-the-book when it comes to his tactics in comparison to Pep Guardiola, it is unlikely that he fields the 28-year-old in a similar role, despite his incredible showing against Bayern as Jamie Carragher noted.
Southgate is known to stick to familiar territory above all things else and simply trust in the players that have delivered for him in the past.
But from a City point of view, they are likely to see the complete package Stones has on offer for the next couple of months and potentially even beyond that.
