I see. I think he also needs to work on heading the ball, though. I don't know if it's poor timing or positioning or what, but he is nowhere near as good at winning the ball in the air as a lad his size should be.
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John Stones
- Thread starter GrandOldTeam
- Start date
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gonetomorrow
Player Valuation: £70m
I agree. He's not a defender.
TheCount
Player Valuation: £10m
KopitesAreGobshi+es22
Player Valuation: £750k
I get nervous every time he touches the ball or defends the runs on the outside of the box.
RFUS
Anustart
davek
Player Valuation: £150m
21 with a lot of experience and a current international. How many times does he need to make the same mistake to get it?
Do you think if he played for Arsenal, City, Chelsea he'd be lunging in so recklessly? I dont.
As said before: it may have something to do with having a manager who encourages players to crack on regardless of mistakes, but I dont think Martinez would be encouraging him to play like a Kamikaze pilot.
He's done this a few times now and I'd expect Martinez to take action and caution him to stay on his feet.
TheCount
Player Valuation: £10m
I wouldn't call him experienced. Beckham had more caps and experience when he kicked Simone in '98.
He's pulled out of the tackle yesterday, resulting in no penalty being given. He realised his mistake and reacted well. Only time will tell if he continues improving. Kamikaze pilot is a tad lose.
DylanMachell
Banned for spamming
never worried when the balls at his feet atall. he'll go past anyone with ease. the only thing id the timing on some of hid "tackles" is awful ie. sterling last night. but hes young and will learn, for his age hes brilliant, up there as a top defender in the league atm and he'll only get bigger in the future. hopefully he stays, but will he?
davek
Player Valuation: £150m
...and got pilloried for it.
The worrying thing with Stones is that he's continually going to ground in the box. Name me a top class defender who does that?
He's got ability on the ball but has little defensive acumen.
Coffee and TV
Player Valuation: £25m
Normally people use this to explain players not being arsed, not diving in to tackles. IMO he's just inexperienced.
loooweee
Player Valuation: £10m
I would agree with you but there something about injury time and stones patience goes out of the window. Loiking back to that fulham game where he made his breakthrough he rarely went to the ground abd now too many times but yh inexperience and probably tiredness
TheCount
Player Valuation: £10m
Name me a defender who was / is top class at 21?
Even exceptional talents like Stone and Varane are going to mistakes. Varane's naivety cost France the possibility of a place in a World Cup semi final.
I agree that Stones has been rash lately. Leaving Martinez with two options;
1. Drop him and let him work it out in the U21s / training. Debatable whether this works.
2. Play him and let him gain experience and (hopefully) iron out these mistakes.
Personally I'd go for option 2. It should enhance his value for when he is inevitably sold, it enhances the clubs reputation as somewhere that gives young talent a chance (obvious benefits) and we can watch him dribble around forwards and do cool stuff.
The only way I'd consider dropping him is in a crucial cup game, where his rashness may cost us, but is Mori less likely to make a mistake?
davek
Player Valuation: £150m
Well that's entirely the point: he's not a top class defender and he underlines that whenever he slides around in the area upending attackers and disadvantaging his own team.
What should be done is that he should be on the bench until he gets the message. This is a football club's season, not a play pen for him to try outlandish things out in. If Coleman hadn't have been injured it'd have been interesting to see what Martinez would have done with the three CBs he has.
bignev23
Player Valuation: £35m
He's a big balled kid who is sometimes overconfident and makes mistakes. It would be nice if he always made the right choices but to expect that from a 21 year old is being a bit of a killjoy. He has my heart in my mouth at times but I don't want him to become another player for us who is so disciplined and scared to make mistakes he becomes a robot on the pitch doing the simplest and easiest thing he can.
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