Following a 3-0 thrashing of German giants Bayern Munich, one Manchester City defender has been getting a lot of overdue credit.
That man being John Stones.
The England international was immense in the Champions League tie with the ability to comfortably slot into the middle of midfield in possession, and seamlessly cover at right-back when out of possession.
The composure with the ball at his feet is incredible, he looks like he has played in midfield all his life. Spraying passes out wide and knowing when to keep it simple, he rarely loses the ball.
It is also very uncommon to see him caught out of position or beaten in a 1 vs 1 situation.
He has really come on leaps and bounds since he made the move to City back in 2016.
John Stones’ move to Manchester City
Viewed as a ball playing centre-back with several mistakes in his game at Everton, it was questioned whether he would be able to cope at the top level.
Now at 28 years old, he is the first defender on the team sheet for his country and is also keeping Kyle Walker out of the Man City side.
It was not only his technical ability that was questioned when he made the move to Manchester, however, there were also doubts over his physical stature.
John Stones’ body transformation & muscle gain
During his first few seasons in the Premier League, people were unsure that Stones could cope with the physicality of the league.
His tall, slender figure was a dream for many Premier League forwards to see. Players like Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane would go into games knowing they could physically dominate the defender.
It is clear that Pep Guardiola will have influenced the changes to the way Stones trains and diets because he now looks like a completely different person.
He transformed from a boy at Everton to a man that can go toe-to-toe with any forward on the planet.
Gone are the days when Stones would be pushed around by anyone and everyone. His newly-gained muscle mass allows him to compete with whichever opponent he finds himself up against.
He has also not lost any of his speed due to this change and this makes him an even more impressive player to watch.
As shown against top sides such as Bayern Munich and Liverpool in recent weeks, Stones could now have the capability of being used in a defensive midfield role as his career goes on.
This is due to his added physical presence in the middle of the park, coupled with his confidence on the ball.
