If you had informed a Manchester City fan a year ago that John Stones would be fit for a crucial run of games necessary to clinch the Premier League title, they would have assumed Pep Guardiola would opt to start him.
It would have seemed unthinkable for Stones not to be a regular starter this season, especially considering his standout performance in the Champions League final just eleven months ago.
However, a series of fitness setbacks and injuries have disrupted his season, restricting him to only 27 appearances so far.
Since the match against Real Madrid, Stones hasn’t completed a full ninety minutes, and he has started just one of the last seven games.
Josko Gvardiol has impressed at left-back, while Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake have cemented their places in the team in Stones’ absence. Stones has played only 76 out of the available 660 minutes in the previous 20 games, with Akanji starting 18 of them.
Ruben Dias returned to the starting lineup against Fulham, and Kyle Walker replaced Ake after he was injured, despite Guardiola acknowledging that Walker had barely trained beforehand. However, this substitution allowed Akanji to move from right-back, where he was struggling.
So why has Stones suddenly found himself ranked fifth or sixth in the pecking order? He is fully fit and injury-free, as Guardiola confirmed.
“He’s absolutely fantastic [physically],” Guardiola said. “Sometimes, other players step forward. Nathan was incredible, and Manu is playing incredibly well right now. That’s why when you’re in that position, you have to perform consistently well—really well—many times in this squad.”
Guardiola challenged Stones to reclaim his place in the starting lineup for the last three games of the season, likening the England center-backs to a father and son duo.
“I know them. It’s like when I arrived here years ago, Gundogan was my first signing,” Guardiola explained. “We’re not quite father and son, but we know each other very well. John needs to respond to this challenge because we need him now and in the future.”
Guardiola also mentioned Grealish, another player who was indispensable last season but has fallen out of favor this season for unknown reasons.
Grealish missed the Fulham game due to injury, but Guardiola emphasized that other players have simply performed better. Even Ederson had to work hard to regain his place after an injury.
For Manchester City fans, this situation might be the new norm. Players understand that if they perform well, they will retain their spot in the team, and no one is guaranteed a starting position.
Twelve months after helping City secure the treble, Stones must respond or risk being sidelined for the remaining three games of the season.