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Pep Guardiola was more candid than he can be with the current situation of the team in his press conference last Friday.
John Stones is reportedly not worthy of facing Arsenal despite returning to training last week and being on the bench against RB Leipzig. “Maybe for the national team, but not for us,” he added.
Only the Manchester City manager will know if there is any frustration with the Stones’ deal with the England side, but in fact he would be entitled to it. On the one hand, during the foreign break he may only help City, but as the club’s manager. It’s not ideal when a player doesn’t play a minute for you and then shows up for another.
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Of course, Stones knows his body better than anyone. It was he who felt something in a muscle during training before the Premier League opener at Burnley who alerted the medical staff that he had a problem.
The former Barnsley player knows how tricky it can be to plan well for a recovery from injury and how reliability plays an important role in Guardiola’s varied plans. This is a coach who Vincent Kompany has not convinced due to the time he has spent on the sidelines, and now has a statue outside the stadium for his efforts towards the club.
Kevin De Bruyne, out until the New Year after being injured in the first 25 minutes of the league opener, and third-choice goalkeeper Scott Carson are the only players to have been used less than the Stones by Guardiola this season. A look back at the last crusade shows that it is also not among the maximum of ten of the maximum used.
No one doubts the immense talent of the Stones, and when he has compatibility, he will almost certainly be in the starting lineup given his quality and versatility. Had he been compatible to face Arsenal, replacing Rodri might not have been such a complicated task. .
However, while luck helps keep you fit, it’s also a skill – just take a look at the effort that goes into ensuring that Erling Haaland can start each and every match he wants. Stones knows this from his time at City, but he also knows how tricky it can be to find the right balance.
Gareth Southgate will also have to play against England’s most productive defender available, but the player will have to be careful that preparing for his fitness does not lead to an overload that could jeopardise his chances of starting for the first time. to the season at City.
The Stones’ ability to deal with this over the next week will influence Guardiola’s temperament in his next press conference ahead of the match against Brighton.