Five Things We Learnt From Man City v Burnley

What did we Learn from a Five Star Performance?

John Stones is a Peaky Blinder

Of all the things I expected to learn on Saturday, that John Stones can play rightback and still looks comfortable was not one of them. Stones spent a lot of the game tucked inside to both supplement the attack and provide passing options to the Manchester City midfield, but when called upon still undertook right back duties as needed. He came across quickly to thwart any Burnley attack and broke up their play with confidence.

Stones has a natural ability on the ball and this ensured he was not feeling under any pressure, even when being subjected to a Burnley press. He looked relaxed at all times. Whilst its unfair to compare him with Kyle Walker, who spends much of the game powering the length of the pitch, it was nevertheless interesting to see Stones in this less regular position. He is aided considerably by his positioning on the pitch. I am not sure whether this is coached through repetitive drills or whether he has some kind of innate sonar system like a bat. But he has an uncanny ability to always know where he is and what options are open to him.

Still it was peculiar to see him upfront during attacks, interplaying with Mahrez but he never looked like an imposter. He did though look like a Peaky Blinder, marauding around the pitch looking for a fight.  All in all, an interesting string to his bow and a tactical option for Guardiola which is likely to be used again.