John Stones has been receiving plenty of praise following his ‘sensational’ FA Cup final performance, having helped Manchester City take one step closer to winning the treble.
His side defeated Manchester United 2-1 at Wembley on Saturday and the defender was a standout, with many, including former Liverpool centre-back, Jamie Carragher, lauding the 29-year-old for his display while comparing him to German football legend, Lothar Matthaus.
Carragher wrote on Twitter: ‘Ilkay Gundogan will be remembered as the match winner, but John Stones’s performance was sensational!
‘Defensively great, block on Garnacho & heading the crossbar!! Then running the game from midfield.
‘I can only ever remember watching [Matthias] Sammer/Matthaus do it for Germany, but they were sweepers in a back three, which was stepping in with the ball more than it was receiving it like a conventional midfielder.’
John Stones (left) has been praised for his ‘sensational’ performance during Man City’s FA Cup final win
Man City remain on track to complete a historic treble win, after they defeated Man United 2-1 at Wembley on Sunday afternoon
John Stones (right) stood out as one of the top performers for Pep Guardiola’s (left) side today
It seems Carragher was so impressed by the defender, he had to make his point again, quoting his original Tweet, saying: ‘John Stones’s performance so far has been wow! What a player he has become.’
This season, Stones has stepped into a new role in Pep Guardiola’s side, with the defender coming out of the back line to occupy a position higher up the field.
The Englishman recently lauded the positional change, conceived by his manager as a masterstroke and a testament to the Spaniard’s tactical knowledge, with Stones having excelled in the position throughout this campaign.
He even left Vinicius Jr completely discombobulated, during Man City’s epic 4-0 Champions League win against Real Madrid.
Joining from Everton in 2016 for a record £47.5million fee, Stones has certainly been a great value investment, today showing his excellent defensive capabilities breaking up play and intercepting multiple passes, while also utilising his commanding physical presence and excellent technical ability in possession.
He has had an excellent season at the back for City and after the match Guardiola lumped praise on the Englishman, saying: ‘[He is an] incredible player. He’s played so well lately and has given the opportunity to play in this certain way. All of the guys were amazing.
‘Stones has the quality to pass the ball and he can arrive into the attacking positions to control the play.’
Stones (middle) proved pivotal during the FA Cup final, breaking up play while also showing his brilliant skills while in possession
Ilkay Gundogan (right) scored twice for the Citizens to give them a 2-1 win against Man united
His comments were rather hilariously echoed by Jack Grealish, who appeared on BBC Match of the Day’s post match commentary, with Stones, and sarcastically claimed that Stones ‘was a disgrace’ today.
Grealish said: ‘I’ve just said to John over there, “you were a disgrace today” and he looked at me and I think he thought I was saying he was bad, but no you were unbelievable.’
Gary Lineker responded: ‘That’s the thing with you youngsters now, you never understand what language you’re saying. Sick means really good and stuff like that.’
Fans on Twitter have also been full of praise for the centre-back, with one saying: ‘John Stones is the second best No 6 in the league and he isn’t even one; the guy is a genius.’
With Stones and Rodri sitting deep in Guardiola’s midfield, teams will certainly have a difficult time of breaking this City team down at the back.
Pep Guardiola’s side will now head into next week’s Champions League final full in confidence that they can win the treble
And both were pivotal in the win today, with Ilkay Gundogan striking twice to see Guardiola claim his second FA Cup title with the club.
After the game, the Spaniard lauded his playing cohort, saying: ‘Give me a better team. They are real friends and they are humble enough to accept that every team can beat us.
‘And we do our best to win and still they are starving and hungry and we still go.’
All eyes will now turn to next weekend’s Champions League final with City hopeful they can claim their historic treble against Inter Milan in Istanbul.
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