Why John Stones should be Premier League Player of the Season
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 17. 05. 2023
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Erling Haaland may have eviscerated the Premier League goal scoring record, but another Manchester City player has enabled Pep Guardiola to evolve and perfect his team at both ends of the pitch, changing the course of the season and allowing City to drive towards a potential treble.
Jon Mackenzie explains why John Stones should be the true Premier League Player of the Season.
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I can't believe Pep went from using no defensive midfielders in the UCL final to a false CDM with Stones and another UCL final
He is a genius
Pep is masterclass and stones is world class player
â@@jigmeedadul4174Pep is so disappointed that he is not recognised by you. đ
@@jigmeedadul4174 hehe if you feel good by discriminating Indians who give up sleep to watch football, go ahead. Feel validated.
@@jigmeedadul4174 what is your problem???
The way Pep has changed the way Stones plays and Stone's ability to adapt is incredible
Dude anyone who watched City play over the years would know this that Pep initialise Stone quality than other way round.
a professional footballer can pass the ball well done
@@owenthompson5214 passing is one thing and having a 92 percent success rate is another thing
@@MoHa-qn4ve most of the passes were probably backwards
@@owenthompson5214 Looks like you haven't watch the games or even finish this video
Bro, Pep could make Mahrez a left back and it would somehow work. Pep has changed football tactics, a real mastermind
Position isn't always a role in modern football. It's been the case since before Pep. It will be like that after Pep.
I'm not hating on him, just you.
@@IVIRnathanreilly Who cares
@@IVIRnathanreilly "not hating on him, just you" cryingggg BRB
@@malaykashyap4350 hope you're ok bro, wasn't talking about you
@@IVIRnathanreilly okay with that logic, I hope you're okay too because albert was talking about pep, not you
They call him Barnsley Beckenbauer.
Still dowsnt make him the one to win EPL player of this very season. No EPL team this season, is in their dressing room spending the most time talking about how to stop Stones.
@@oslonorway547 by that criterion for poty, no player who isn't an attacking one could ever win it
@@oslonorway547 and hence they keep losing. the day they start to shut down Rodri and Stones they win.
â@@pratikkumar205 that's based on the assumption that pep won't find a new system to work around that
Even City's defenders are better ballers than most PL midfielders (hell, even Ederson is)
As good as Stones has been in this new role, it would be criminal for Haaland not to get player of the year after setting a new goals scored record
Don't worry, he's already won it.
KDB might say otherwise
â@@TmcksnT We are talking EPL player of the season, not Manchester City player of the season. KDB has been in the EPL for years and only now reached a milestone assist record. Haaland is in his debut season and already breaking records. Are you sure you are watching the same league as the rest of us have been watching for decades?
@@oslonorway547 if you asked Peo who he would rather have this season, he would say KDB. So obviously he is looking past the goals accruing to one person at the expense of the rest of team
@@TmcksnT Like I said, Manchester City's best player is not the same as the best player whom the entire EPL would vote. Pep would vote KDB because he is a key player in making his tactics work. The rest of the League would vote Haaland because he has had the most extra ordinary impact on the entire league this season, infouencing every team's tactical discussion, breaking records, increasing attention to the league. If you want to know how it works, ask yourself which player would the entire league rather sacrifice to go play in another Eurooean league? KDB or Haaland? If you don't know the answer, ask La Liga what happened when Messi left for Ligue 1. The League Player of the year is the player who has represented the league's image and excitement the entire season, and in this very 22/23 season Haaland is the name you are looking for. I rest my case.
Using Ederson not just as a back pass options but as a false CB in a false back 4 is brilliant; Pep is a genius
Itâs actually crazy how well that works. Stones moves forward, Dias shifts across and Ederson almost becomes a left centre backđ
@@mlondon6601 đđđ
De Zerbi does something similar, not sure who did it first
I love it lol. He has 3 CBs in the lineup yet Ederson is still LCB in build-up
@@slove1234 Pep did it first at barca.
If weâre being completely objective, the only choice is Rodri. Hard to argue against the record breaker (Haaland) but Rodri is instrumental to everything City. Without him the defense is weaker, the attack is weaker, they win less duels, have less possession and passes, concede more counter attacks, etc. The guy is Busquets v2, a genuine upgrade on him. I never thought Iâd see another pure CDM dictating play like Busquets, except Rodri has all the physical attributes. A leader, tall, strong. Tactical fouls at the perfect times. Iâm in love with this player.
tactical foulsđŻ
This exactlyâŠI cringe with these pro English centric videosâŠas good as Stones has been and try to be objective âŠRodri is the actual best player so far
@@gambit0913 You can argue tactically thatâs the most important change Pep has made all year, but heâs not the most important player.
We are talking EPL player of the season, not Manchester City player of the season. No EPL team this season, is in their dressing room spending the most time talking about how to stop Rodri.
â@@oslonorway547he's the most important player for the best team in the premier League. I think that merits POTY
Stone has finally become the player people imagined he might become when City bought him from Everton. At Everton he was so silky with his passing and carrying of the ball, even though he was error prone. Now he sometimes looks like Beckenbauer out there
Stones has been pretty great for three years now
I would also make the case for Akanji being signing of the season for a similar reasons
Full agreement, he's been immense wherever he's played
đđđ No.
@@mfundonkosi6927 and who tf are you
â@@mfundonkosi6927 Silence, bottler enabler.
âââ@@mfundonkosi6927 17M for a bolted on starter who locked up Kingsley Coman, Saka, and many more. Never played full back in his professional career and has played both sides masterfully. What more could you want đ
I remember back in 2016 when pep was using the 3-2-5 formation and everyone thought he was insane for doing so
Well that happens when you lose 4-0 away at Leicesterđ
And now Arsenal and Liverpool both do it đ
The fact Pep took a system from 100 years ago and brought it into the modern game and is DOMINATING with it...remarkable. Long live the WM!
100%. John Stones is so technically gifted for a CB. His compusure and experience makes him so invaluable to any team. I believe Ben White will be able to emulate this CDM/CB/RB hybrid role in the future.
Yep! It's literally Ben White in 2 years time, maybe less.
He is doing great but only being played about half the time by Pep.
I believe Lindelof can also perform this role
lindelof has similar traits as well
He played cdm for Everton sometimes, everyone seems to have forgotten
Even as a Man Utd fan, I have to respect the way Pep develops and uses players.
Sure, City spend a lot, but not so much more than the rest, but they do spend it better and thats down to Pep's tactical nous, being able to select players who can fit the system and are also likely trainable to fill other roles. Like, when have City had a transfer as rotten as Donny VDB at Unuted or Lukaku back to Chelsea ended up?
Plus, as this video illustrates, he fixed an issue with the squad by promoting a youth product and re-deployed an existing player. Thats coaching, not spending your way out of trouble.
Hell, they made a profit last summer and their surplus players (Jesus & Zinchenko) elevated Arsenal to title challengers.
Finally a non city fan who could actually recognise the good pep and the board has done. Well said mate
They have a few from the pre-Pep era, like Wilfrid Bony and Eliaquim Mangala, but since he's been here they haven't had many misses. Mendy was a miss (and problematic for other reasons), but he also got injured 6 games into his tenure and never quite got back to that level after his knee reconstruction. There's fringe guys like Angelino who left, came back, then left again, but that's about it. That's the funny part when Arsenal go on about City spending big, but they also don't have blunders like PĂ©pĂ© for âŹ80m or terminating contracts with sellable players like Ozil and Aubamayang where they got nothing in return. Pep tends to make a player a finished product. SanĂ© might be one of the few he didn't improve implicitly as a player.
He was senstional in the second leg of the UCL semi against Real
Yesterday was the first time I saw Pep's new system in detail and I was very very impressed by John Stones and his positional play. The first 20 mins were scintillating and I was watching like a curious kid trying to understand the tactics and movement.
It has to be Kalvin Phillips. What a signing he has been. đ
We should congratulate City for signing him because he is there to fulfill the quota of homegrown players for Champion's League...in other words, Kalvin is there so City can, for once, obey the rules set for them! ')
This time next year you might be saying that unironically. It takes time to adjust to a new tactical system and Pep is a perfectionist.
Today John Stones is a 100 million player and amongst the top 3 defenders as well as holding midfielders of the world.
I absolutely agree. I remember in the middle of the season feeling so pissed off with pep trial and errors with rico lewis and bernardo silva thing. they lost bunch of games even to low tier clubs. but everything has completely changed ever since pep found out the john stones role.
I was the exact same. I liked Rico Lewis being given a chance but the way they'd play would always make me nervous. I also remember how angry I was after the draw against Forest but look where they are now
@@david91lvb yes he can become the future star for city but his tiny build is a little bit hard factor to make him as a CDM. I prefer him to be just a winger more like foden/bernardo but he needs to work on more of his offensive skills.
we lost like 3 games lol
Rico Lewis did score on his champions league debut though, didn't he?
As much as I love Stones and he defos deserves to be in the convo but Dias has completely changed us since he came back from injury the way he leads the whole team without even being vice captain is unbelievable
Akanji too deserves the accolades. They work seamlessly together in that defense and I hope they remain fit for the remaining crucial matches of the season
Whoever was holding their stones stocks they are enjoying themselves now.
I know Dias is the one that gets all the shouts and forget stones but heâs genuinely the best defender when fit
nah as a defender Dias is better
Sorry but that simply isnât true. Before dias our defending was horrible.
Stones is better on the ball but as a pure defender nobody on city comes close to dias
â@@alecmorariu6291 before Diaz city fans were saying Laporte was the best in the world.
Numbers will always look good in a team dominating possession that presses really well.
It comes down to %s, that when he has to do something he does it.
Diaz isn't topping the charts in any defensive action % based statistics. In fact, he does quite a lot poorer than you'd expect.
@@IVIRnathanreillyjust check what happened when city started this winning run. A certain Portuguese came back from injury. Dias is like Thiago Silva, he makes the entire defense better just by his leadership. Individual stats doesnât measure that. Our record with/ without him proves that
@@IVIRnathanreillyfair enough but thatâs just the numbers side of it. When you watch Ruben Dias each season you can visibly see heâs a more dominant defender and tougher for opposition to play against more than any other City CB.
He was brilliant yesterday against Real Madrid
Love the new Pep system, it is a solid defensive unit against set pieces (5 big man + halland) rather than small2 central mids and full backs. This maybe the perfect system that other team will soon to follow.
The analysis on this channel is outstanding. So many of the media outlets covering football just go for clickbait-ey controversy. On Tifo IRL you actually explain the tactics that have shaped this season. I'm done watching Sky sports analysis when there's so much genuine insight on this channel
not only stones but Akanji was playing important role for city this season too...he is solid, consistent and always available..can play all of defender position too
I love that heâs finally starting to get his just recognition
In all seriousness: Pep's fundamental weakness was always:
1. Weak defence - not enough emphasis
2. Needing a replacement for Aguero
He's ticked both boxes with Stones/Rodri covering the defence and Haaland up front with De Bruyne/B.Silva/Grealish feeding him or his presence opening up for them.
I'm not surprised with the above changes, Pep's now cracked the final piece of the code: His teams now out-pass via skill and also out-force via power other teams: Closer to the perfectly balanced team whereas before his skill only obsession left his teams weak at the back.
Exactly!
The obsession with defenders now makes sense because if they can play on ball they can play total football at some point. Literally rotation in dizzy way I see it coming. Half way there
Classic TIFO video. Jon smashed it đđż đđż
Pep has successfully reintroduced the Half Back and the WM formation from the 1930s.
amazing video Jon. This kind of analysis really highlights why Pep is so good
Whenever I watch one of these videos i seem to spend the entire time watching Jon's hands swish back and forth. I can concentrate on nothing else.
This is fantastic analysis, hats off to John! Smashed it yet again
Loved him at Everton. His talent was still raw but you could tell he had wells of ability. Pep is the perfect manager for him.
How beautiful did this video age? 6/6 successful dribbles in a UCL final since Messi v Juve 2015. Tifo, you saw the foresight
Most counted him out early in but look at Stones now. What a player and he's learned to adapt to the roles Pep gives him. Pep has experimented and now he's got his dream team .
Pep team havenât peaked yet which is kinda scary imagining going full gear!
Great video and Stones has had a blinding season floating around like a gazelle through the midfield but also keeping his defensive discipline. Please straighten the pictures hanging behind you as I'm sure I'm not the only one it upsets haha.
Now you've mentioned it I now see it.
Well said and well ecplained. I think that you are right.
This demonstrates the power of the De Zerbi defensive structure when he arrived at Brighton. His arrival ironically solved Pep's problem at the top of the league.
Yes, exactly, De Zerbi's influence is impressive especially if we consider he just took over Brighton this season.
Apologies whats the De Zerbian characteristic of that defense structure?
@@CountFisco Tifo have another video How De Zerbi is changing the Premier League. It explains the concept really well.
Poch used to use Eric Dier in a similar way, although he was a CB he was more effective bringing the ball into midfield so one full back could push up while the other one would drop back and Dier would be the pivot player with Dembele as the ball carrying 8
Again, such a brilliant analysis. I wouldnât be surprised that pro coaches are actually subbed to this channel
Well said John. Respec all over Stonesâ name.
Good video, Stones has been crucial to City this season.
Also, loving the Nakamura shirt/print on the wall.
I liked rico lewis too. When I watched the games that he played. You wouldâve thought he was a natural midfielder he was really comfortable there
In Brazil in the 1950s, the shift from the back three of the W-M to the back four began. One of the centre-backs was usually a converted half-back and was called a âquarto zagueiroâ (roughly translates to âfourth defenderâ). His job was to step up in midfield & join the other 2 half-backs when the team had possession, and to fall back & play alongside the remaining 3 defenders - creating a zonal back 4 - when the team lost the ball.
Stonesâ role seems to have quite a few similarities in many regards.
Yesterday, his movement had Madrid defensive players completely confused and resulted in that glorious first goal when Silva ended up completely unmarked in Madrid box (well, Croos messed up too)
Seeing Stones bombing up the pitch and operating on the edge of the box like an attacking midfielder is surreal to watch.
I know this video was ostensibly about John Stones being Player of the Season, but the argument you ended up making was for Pep Guardiola to be Manager of the Season. Great video.
You just gained a new subscriber.
The fact that we are arguing which players should win the POTY, it just shows how good City is.
I remember Pep using Busquets as a false center back and single pivot once. He changed back to his normal system during the game but it seems he had the idea for a long time.
Great video - I was watching City smash Madrid yesterday and realized how confident Stones has become....just a year ago he was on the bench and forgot his skin guards.
Pretty sure he tried this with rodri as the centre back pushing forward in possession when they were short at the back but it didn't work exactly as planned out of possession. Clearly peps found a way to make it work with stones - probably having rodri alongside him helps.
Nathan Ake so underrated
Actually, the comeback of Ruben Dias from his injury after the World Cup changed the whole dimension of City. As good as Stones has been this season, Ruben Dias has the bigger impact. The whole squad played 3 times better when Dias plays.
Awesome video
We're talking about Premier League player of the season but analysing a CL match. Weird
Saka being even considered for a POTY is a joke
Stone's new role has to be one of the best revelations of the season
Great video. In his prime, Rio Ferdinand would have been great in the role that Stones is now playing (though whether it would have suited Man Uâs style of play under Sir Alec is a different question).
Someone please help me understand. Why have fullbacks been inverting? Why wasn't it always a center back pushing forward? It seems so much shorter of a distance to run. Why is this revolutionary?
Because very few center backs have the technical ability to act almost like a lone CDM especially against the best teams in Europe. You also require the back 3 to be extremely good defensively
New System:
The cbs in sides needs to be good in 1v1, so they need to be agile and relatively fast
Just look for example players like Rafael Leao on the wing or Vini JR or Salah - against them in 1v1 you step on time wrong they are behind you (last system 1 was enough, now 2)
Also, these sidebacks are also responsible to connect the defence block with the attacking one, so the team in this system should have 4 defensive players with a higher progressive passes success rate
In the inverting system, you could get away with 3 not good progressive passer defenders because the cdms make the progressive passes
It means that with Ederson they have 5 good passers forward so it is extremely hard to press them and nowadays the pressing is n1 chance creation option
Ancelotti knew IMO that they can't press City well enough so they tried to beat City in transitions but with the new system they are better defended against Benzema and Vini Jr lead counterattacks
The new system is also more defended against the 2 good inverted winger lead counterattacks (like the once famous Mane-Salah)
There are not many centerbacks that are good in this "new" sidebacks role (traditional cb + fb in 1) and not many players like Rodri or Stones who can play like a traditional cb + cm + cdm
Some CBs do that like RĂŒdiger for Tuchel's Chelsea and Upamecano for Nagelsmann's Leipzig (I think). I think it's just that CBs are generally better defenders than fullbacks so it would make sense to keep them defending
Stone is so awesome he can even make Maguire look good in an English shirt, something Varane can't come close to doing. đđđ
Maguire is actually good in an England shirt. He even made it into some of the World Cup teams of the tournament lol
Maguire is good for national team because international matches level are slightly lower compare to club football, even though many great players played, because of lack of coordination the level of the games are not up to club football which gives Maguire a breathing space
Great analysis. Stones in my opinion has been City's most underrated player for a few years. I second your call for PLPotS!
John stons is the guardiola's mind in-field. With his progressions, city overload the mid section and outnumber the real madrid's backline. He should receive more recognition.
My boy finally getting the praise he deserves.
Pep is always innovating and changing he will move out players like cancelo he is ruthless. The best of his generation by a country mile. Sir Alex for longevity and consistent success is the best for now in another 5 years if pep stays at city I donât see anyone touching them he will become the GOAT
Watching this make me wonder what will happen if PSG has backline quality and great manager that can make something like this.. All the great quality of their attacking player doesnt really need to drop deep so often to help moving the ball forward
Need to remember this was introduced for the first time against BAYERN. Before that only Rodri did this once at the Bridge and it was so bad it was thrown away at ht. Since then with Stones it has been amazing.
Pep has created the first 4 back libero. Stones often drops to defend as a CB in a 442 then has the keys to advance as much as he wants when on the attack. Such a difficult role to fill.
This is not new lmfao
This is exactly why City deserve to win every trophy. Everyone and not only Stones has been outstanding this season. Everyone, I mean everyone.
Pep is a genius literally creating new trends in modern Football
I just noticed from your explanation that what Pep has essentially done is found a way to offensively park the bus. That's incredible, countering against those defenders that stall you while the midfield tracks back and gets the ball off the opposition is amazing. These players must have incredible stamina to implement this especially with the amount of games they play. But I'm wondering, how are Man City able to go on the counter so fast after recovering the ball? because seems like would be tough to get the ball upfield for the counter
Also squad number used is 18 - itâs somehow working
At some point Pep played Bernado as an attacking defender..legendary
Great on
Loving the backing track, what is it??
No. If we were to start doing it like this, then everytime a manager tweaks a system, the player he used would be POTS. What about Trent for Liverpool? Also Valverde would be a prime Ballon d' Or candidate.
The best player is the best performer and most impactful in making the team great, this season it has been Kevin De Bryune followed by Haaland.
Why are all of the frames in the background crooked. Or am I just crazy.
I case you believe it would be criminal to not give POTY to Haaland when he set a goals record - Andy Cole scored 41 in 93/94 and didn't win it. (Cantona won, Alan Shearer won the FWA)
Brilliant video. Itâs still clearly Haaland but a case well made!
Considering how vital John Stones was to Manchester City's run to the Champions League Title. Your assertion was merited. Obviously, you were speaking in terms of the Premier League. But it was in the 2nd half of the EPL season. Where Pep experimented moving Stones into midfield. To which John went on to flourish in the role.
Jon doesnât have FWA vote so he made a video đ€đ
What about Akanji that has played centre back,right back,left back effortlessly. Played more games, bought for less than half stones was bought in 2023. Pep creates systems that make players fantastic.
Incredible player. Ben White will never get to his level. The departure of Cancelo was a blessing in disguise for him and City.
And with 3 (and sometimes 4) CBs + Rodri + Haaland Man City has become a big, physical unit that is effective in defending and attacking on set pieces
Johnny Johnny stonesđ
We also canât underestimate the effect playing alongside Ruben Dias has had on Stones since he arrived in 2020
That Canavaro shirt needs straightening
Most of the frames do, actually.
Simeone: everyone is a centerback.
Pep: everyone is a midfielder! No wait, everyone is a false nine! Np, a winger! Wait, what did you say? Everyone is a centerback? Genius! The centerbacks can be midfielders, the midfielders can be centerbacks, the fullbacks can be centerbacks, and the centerbacks can be fullbacks! Hold on, why not make the keeper a centerback!
3:21 the reference to using a fullback in the âtraditional wayâ - meaning steaming forward on the overlap - shows that the evolution cycle is now complete. Next innovation is for right tough bastards that defend as if their lives depend on it, and so on and so forth.
I think everyone is forgetting about De Gea, Varane and Martinez, who have all contributed to 16 clean sheets for United compared to 12 for City.
Ok and
When pep's experiment works it's masterclass, when it goes wrong it's overthinking
I was watching Stones and Rodri last night and was struck by how awesome they both were against Real Madrid.
They all had great games though.đ
Iâm convinced if Pep hadnât come up with this tweak, they probably wouldnât have caught Arsenal and may even have struggled to get past Bayern.
The consistency just wasnât there before this.
Peps done it (yet) again. Cue every manager trying to copy him next season. The real goat. No question.
Id like to see a Tifo on City breaking up play, professional fouls and grealish diving.
what attributes have to be there in order for the t-shirts in the back to change because in this video there are new names there!
The big key is hive mind, Man City players are not individuals, they are all embodiment of Guardiola. 11 players in a cluster. Absolutely lethal with and without the ball.
Mentality is key. Emphasis on collective not individual. There isnât a super star signing. Pep creates stars. âš
Player of the season for me is Bernardo Silva, his stats both defensive and offensive are ridiculous, he's more consistent than KDB over this season AND he's been a MC top performer for years
You won't find a better team player in the PL and I dare say in Europe, this guy does e v e r y t h i n g
Who would have think that City will be at their best without advanced full backs? This means Pep is actually adapting himself to what it is and completing his system, as Cancello was being caught a number of times this season. Klopp also learned this and changed Arnold's position.
But let's see, City key players are in range of 28 yo or above, interesting to see if they can replace well gradually.
Probably. They are the best club in the world at the moment and have the resources to attract every player in the world, and Pep will build a system around them, assuming he stays for longer.
Title should have been why John Stones should be EPL "Defender of the Season."
When you think about player of the year you can think only of man City squad , that's how much genius pep actually is
Need an analysis on Godri. Best pivot in Europe hands down
Rico Lewis is a great player and once matured he will be great. Stones has been brilliant in there.