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Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman made headlines today with a scathing critique of former teammate Ross Barkley, saying: “He’s been playing in the first team since he was 17 or 18. That’s a long time to have been playing in the Premier League and not kicked on, and not made that next step. It’s worrying that he’s still being talked about as a young player and ‘give him time’.”
A lot of people seemed to agree with Osman's take on Barkley, but this is the exact same criticism that could be leveled at Barkley’s former Everton teammate John Stones. Barkley is 23 and began playing extensively for Everton during the 2013-14 season. Stones will turn 23 in May and became a regular during the 2013-14 season as well.
As an attacking midfielder, it’s much easier to judge Barkley simply off of his attacking output. If he’s scoring goals, he’s playing well. If he’s not, then he’s not improving. Stones, being a defender at a club that doesn’t usually have to rely on a massive amount of defensive work, gets more of a free pass.
The only stick with which to beat him has been his price tag of £47.5 million, but that stick is being brandished with much more frequency as pundits and viewers begin to analyze just why Pep Guardiola hasn’t won a treble in his first season at Manchester City.
Mainly, it’s because their defense is a shambles. Vincent Kompany’s calves conspire to end his life, Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov are a combined 1,000 years of age and Claudio Bravo makes you question the modern approach to goalkeeping.
But Stones should be the one foundation upon which they can build. Back in August, I wrote that Guardiola’s search for what Gerard Pique was to Barcelona and Jerome Boateng to Bayern Munich, a technical libero who can build play from the back, had ultimately led him to splashing a ridiculous amount of cash on Stones. Their paths at Manchester City became one.
Stones was part of an Everton defense that shipped 55 goals, and he made the most errors in the EPL (3) that led directly to goals, but it was his ability on the ball that must’ve impressed Guardiola.
That ability on the ball has just handed Chelsea the title. That and Manchester City's stupid f**king jerseys.
John Stones really is a poor man's Rob Holding. pic.twitter.com/yQlmAOaGjf
— TerryAFC (@TerryAFCx) April 5, 2017
This season, Stones is tied for the league lead in mistakes that led directly to goals with three. He's basically been one of the worst defenders in the Premier League for two straight seasons. Like Barkley, he’s just not kicked on.
Buying him was a massive gamble because it shone a direct light onto the things we believed Guardiola capable of producing — an ability to play attractive football, to quickly nurture young talent and to stamp his philosophy anywhere on the planet and with any extremely expensive squad.
It hasn’t transpired like that by any means. Guardiola will have an absurd amount of money to spend in the summer transfer window, but selling clubs will know how desperate City are for defenders. If the value, as dictated by Pep, of Stones was £47.5m, it’s crazy to think what it’ll cost to get someone in who actually knows the art of defense.
As John Stones was trying to close him down, Eden Hazard drops his shoulder and leaves the City defender in his wake. 2-1. #CFC pic.twitter.com/pW3k81zlZg
— Chelsea GIFs (@ChelseaGIFs) April 5, 2017
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