John Stones in Focus: Chelsea target kept Sergio Aguero quiet and looks destined for the top

Destined for the top: John Stones
(Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Vaishali Bhardwaj23 August 2015

John Stones was at the heart of Everton's defence against Manchester City despite continuing reports of interest from Chelsea. Here, we look at his performance.

Composure

If the constant speculation over his future was unsettling Stones - as some reports claiming he is ready to hand in a transfer request might suggest - he was not letting it show. The 21-year-old looked relaxed as he arrived at the ground and he remained composed throughout the game. Everton's strong defence was eventually pierced by City but Stones' performance was a solid one.

Distribution

Stones' partnership with Phil Jagielka was firm throughout the game and he appeared to do little wrong. He looked comfortable on the ball and cleared his lines well without doing anything spectacular.

Getty

Tackling

Given the tough job of keeping an eye on Sergio Aguero, Stones was kept busy but he coped with the task well. He was caught out by the Argentinian and conceded a free-kick in a dangerous position late in the first half but he was generally sound.

Overall impression

Performances such as these, against a side with formidable attacking resources and in top form, are the reason why Chelsea are interested in Stones. Most observers believe he still has much improvement to make and that may come as he gains experience. He looks to have a long career ahead of him and seems destined to end up at the top of the game, whether that comes sooner or later.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in