Jamie Carragher lauds John Stones’ FA Cup final display ‘SENSATIONAL’
John Stones has been widely praised after his ‘sensational’ FA Cup final, which helped take Manchester City one step closer to winning the treble.
His side beat Manchester United 2-1 at Wembley on Saturday and the defender was a star. Many, including former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher, praised the 29-year-old for his performance and compared him to the German football legend. Lothar Mathaus.
Carragher wrote on Twitter: ‘Ilkay Gundogan will be remembered as the match winner but John Stones performance was sensational!
‘Defensively great, block on Garnacho and head on the crossbar!! Then play the game from midfield.
“I can only remember watching [Matthias] Sammer/Matthaus did it for Germany, but they were sweepers in a back three, stepping in with the ball more than receiving it like a conventional midfielder.’
John Stones (left) has been praised for his ‘sensational’ performance in Man City’s FA Cup final
Man City remain on track to take a historic treble win after beating Man United 2-1 at Wembley on Sunday afternoon
John Stones (right) stood out as one of the top performers of Pep Guardiola’s (left) squad today
It seems Carragher was so impressed with the defender, he had to reiterate his point, quoting his original Tweet saying, ‘John Stones performance so far has been amazing! What a player he has become.’
This season, Stones has taken on a new role in Pep Guardiola’s side, with the defender coming out of the back line to move up the pitch.
The Englishman recently praised the change of position, taken by his manager as a masterstroke and a testament to the Spaniard’s tactical savvy, with Stones excelling in the position throughout this campaign.
He even completely unbalanced Vinicius Jr during Man City’s epic 4-0 Champions League win against Real Madrid.
Stones joined from Everton in 2016 for a record £47.5 million and has certainly been a great investment. Today, he demonstrates his excellent defensive abilities to break up play and intercept multiple passes, while also making use of his impressive physical presence and excellent technical ability in possession.
He’s had an excellent season for City and after the game, Guardiola was full of praise for the Englishman, saying: “[He is an] incredible player. He has been playing so well lately and has given the opportunity to play in this particular way. All guys were great.
“Stones has the quality to pass the ball and he can get into attacking positions to control the game.”
Stones (centre) proved crucial during the FA Cup final, breaking play and 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 echoed rather hilariously by Jack Grealish, who appeared on BBC Match of the Day’s post-match commentary, featuring Stones, sarcastically claiming that Stones was ‘a disgrace’ today.
Grealish said, “I just said to John there, ‘you were a disgrace today’ and he looked at me and I think he thought I said he was bad, but no, you were incredible.”
Gary Lineker replied, ‘Now that’s the problem with you young people, you never understand what language you speak. Sick means very well and things like that.’
Fans on Twitter also heaped praise on the centre-back, with one saying: “John Stones is the second best No. 6 in the league and he’s not even one; that guy is a genius.”
With Stones and Rodri sitting deep in Guardiola’s midfield, teams will certainly struggle to break down this City squad at the back.
Pep Guardiola’s side will confidently win the treble next week
And both were crucial in today’s victory, with Ilkay Gundogan striking twice and Guardiola claiming his second FA Cup title with the club.
After the game, the Spaniard praised his cohort, saying: “Give me a better team. They are true friends and they are humble enough to accept that any team can beat us.
“And we try our best to win and still they hunger and hunger and we still go.”
All eyes will now be on next weekend’s Champions League final, with City hoping to claim their historic treble against Inter Milan in Istanbul.