The Manchester derby provided the showpiece fixture of the weekend for Premier League supporters on Sunday afternoon, and it was a compelling derby which served to enforce a damning realisation for both Manchester United supporters and the rest of the Premier League title challengers.
Imperious, clinical, supreme. Pep Guardiola’s men usurped Liverpool at the top of the Premier League after a hiatus which lasted little over 24 hours with a crushing 3-1 victory over their greatest rivals. The scoreline suggests that United perhaps stood a fighting chance of clinching something from the game but, in truth, they lacked any sort of coherent potency all afternoon.
Aside from Anthony Martial’s penalty, any threat of a United spark was cooled by a defensive unit who are growing in stature with every passing fixture. Aymeric Laporte is showing that Virgil Van Dijk was not the only world class defender to arrive in the Premier League in January, but it’s the performances of John Stones which are really beginning to catch the eye.
The boy has grown into a man, physically, mentally and metaphorically; no longer is Stones ridiculed for his indecision or a lack of physical presence, he has blossomed into an immovable force in central defence who installs tranquillity into a fan-base who once depicted a post-Kompany era as both unthinkable and potentially disastrous.
Following another Goliath-like performance alongside Laporte, Stones was lauded by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp in his weekly column as published by the Daily Mail.
‘Stones is now looking like a world class player. He is the Rolls-Royce I knew he could be when he first broke into the Everton team.’
For any young English player who commands a price-tag as extortionate as £47.5 million, the pressure to succeed can be crippling. In a modern era which facilitates the voices of thousands upon thousands of individuals to lambaste players on social media in the space of mere minutes, Stones has often fallen victim to that reality amongst circles of supporters who have been eager to label him a flop.
But as is the case with Raheem Sterling, he has flourished under Pep Guardiola’s tutelage and firmly quashed any discussion regarding his quality in relation to his price-tag; he could yet become a mainstay at the heart of a back-four who are expected to compete for major honours indefinitely, and that’s well worth forking out £47.5 million for in the current economic climate.
Redknapp’s claim that Stones is world class would have been dismissed as ludicrous this time last season, but the development he has shown in recent months in fixtures of the highest magnitude suggests that a new leader has been born in Manchester, who possesses the skill-set and mentality to become captain for both club and country in the coming years.
Man City fans – thoughts on Stones? Let us know below!
