Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will make John Stones a star, says Arsenal legend Thierry Henry
John Stones' evolution under Guardiola at Manchester City will be the same as that of Gerard Pique at Barcelona
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JOHN STONES would have been disappointed not to play for England at the Euros but now he has the chance to establish himself as this country’s best centre-half.
The way I see the evolution of Stones is the way I saw it happen with Gerard Pique going back to Barcelona in 2008.
Pique was one of Pep Guardiola’s first signings and some questioned the deal because he wasn’t regarded as a great defender by Manchester United, where he hadn’t been able to fight his way past Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
But Pep identified him as a player who was comfortable on the ball and worked on his defensive game to turn Pique into one of the all-time greats.
So it will be amazing if Stones can follow the same career path with Manchester City.
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One of the most important things for Pep is that his centre-backs can play as well as defend.
You could see Stones going over to get instructions from the boss during City’s Champions League win against Steaua Bucharest on Wednesday.
That’s what Pep does better than anyone else. He provides direction, guidance and ideas and there is nothing better for a player than knowing exactly what you have to do.
The way Pep sets his team up, they can have a change of formation and tactics two or three times in a single game.
The players have to be intelligent to adapt and be able to change positions when required.
The guys who understand the quickest are those who will thrive under Pep.
Stones will be given a detailed way of bringing the ball out, instructed how to split with his defensive partner and when to step up and press the midfield.
That’s why it is so important for Pep to have a keeper who can play outside his area. It gives him an extra man and allows for another player in midfield.
It’s also important for him to have a centre-half who can play football, control and pass the ball on the ground. That’s why he went for Stones.
Like Pique, Stones will never be a Tony Adams, John Terry or Carles Puyol, shouting and screaming, hurling himself into last-ditch tackles.
But Stones will emerge as a natural commander because he has ability that other players would die for.
People will still notice a mistake and the first thing they will do is mention his £47.5million transfer fee.
But it becomes less of an issue if you’ve won 4-1 rather than if you’ve lost 2-1. There are times when you can get away with murder if you’re surrounded by great players.
Pep will tolerate mistakes as long as a player is carrying out his instructions. But Stones will have to improve defensively because he has competition from Vincent Kompany, Aleksandar Kolarov and Nicolas Otamendi.
But I believe Stones is now working with the very best man for his career, a coach who can help him to win the Premier League, the Champions League and become an England international for a very long time.