John Stones, a versatile defender, has been placed in a way that appears to emphasise a tactical gap between Man City and Inter Milan.
According to FCInterNews, this is the opinion expressed in today’s print edition of the Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera, which notes that in the Champions League this year, the Cityzens have won the ball back on average 9.6 metres higher up the pitch than the Nerazzurri.
It is no secret that City’s plan includes an aggressive press high up the pitch.
In fact, pressing is just as crucial to the Cityzens’ ability to control games as moving the ball. In some ways even more so.
As a result, City has, on average, won the ball back higher up the pitch this season than any other club in the Champions League.
The average distance from their own goal that Pep Guardiola’s team has recovered the ball is 47.8 metres. They aim to launch very swift attacks from this elevated position while the opposition struggles to mount a defensive comeback.
The shorter the distance to the goal, the better in this case.
John Stones Serving As Man City’s Key Player
This year, versatile defender John Stones has established himself as a crucial component of a slightly revamped City lineup, as The Corriere della Sera points out.
Guardiola, the coach of the City club, may always want to manage the game from a high position on the pitch. However, the coach frequently modifies the means to achieve that goal.
This season, it has necessitated a peculiar Stones-related tactical change.
The 28-year-old has typically always defended in the centre.
Stones has frequently played in defensive midfield this season, though.
Depending on the situation, Stones’ versatile position allows him to play everywhere from defence to holding midfield to even joining the attack.
This has been essential in enabling City to maintain intense pressure up the pitch.
Compared to Man City, Inter wins the ball up deeper on the pitch.
On the one hand, Inter and City are both fairly nimble possession-based teams.
It is possible to give permission to defenders like Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, and Alessandro Bastonil to push up and join the assault.
The Nerazzurri play a generally far less aggressive press than City, though. The Nerazzurri have actually returned the ball closer to their own goal than any other side in this season’s Champions League knockout rounds, according to the Corriere della Sera.
Inter recovers the ball on average 38.4 metres from their own goal, which is nearly ten more metres than City.
Inter now has a longer distance to cover to get to the opposing goal.
This often entails a number of vertical passes made very quickly by the Nerazzurri to gain ground from a deeper starting position.
Throughout the knockout stages, Inter has done well with this tactic. However, in tomorrow’s championship game, City will put it to the ultimate test.
How defender Stones handles the Nerazzurri’s rapid forward passing could be crucial to the overall tactical struggle.