Jamie Carragher lauded Pep Guardiola’s use of John Stones in the No 10 role in the Manchester derby as a revolutionary tactical masterstroke which was crucial in clinching City’s 3-1 win.
Phil Foden’s double inspired City’s come-from-behind victory at the Etihad Stadium but, according to Carragher on Monday Night Football, Stones’ positioning was just as significant.
The centre-back has regularly popped up in midfield under Guardiola during the last two seasons but in Sunday’s game he was even more advanced than usual.
“I think we’re watching something that I’ve never seen in English football before,” Carragher said. “And I’ve been watching football from the mid-1980s.
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Watch highlights from Manchester City’s match against Manchester United in the Premier League.
“When I grew up, the only defender you would class as a classy defender on the ball was Alan Hansen of Liverpool.
“I remember then watching [Franco] Baresi, coming out with the ball from the back. Rio Ferdinand was another one of those.
“The only one I can think of who has done what John Stones is doing now is Matthias Sammer, around about Euro ’96. It wasn’t just about coming out with the ball, it was actually making runs.
“You can have a guy at the back who is really good with the ball, you can have a guy who steps in and dribbles with the ball, or you can have a guy who moves into midfield, maybe a sitting midfield role.
“But John Stones is going from centre-back to No 10. We have never seen this before.”
Stones made 39 passes in the final third against Man Utd – his joint-highest total in a Premier League game
Carragher continued: “When you look at his touch map from the Manchester United game, you see his touches are all over. You can see that when you watch the game as well.
“The interesting stat is 39 passes in the final third – the most he has ever had in a Premier League appearance.
“It’s a big game against Manchester United. Why has he had his most passes in the final third, even when he has been playing this role for 12 months?
“It’s because of the set-up of Manchester United and their man-marking system in midfield.”
Carragher shows the distance between Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo in Man Utd’s midfield as they man-mark Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva
Carragher explained how Guardiola used Stones to exploit the space created by dragging United’s central midfielders, Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo, into wide areas using Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne.
“The distance between Casemiro and Mainoo is because they man-mark the two No 8s. Basically, whenever Pep Guardiola comes up against Erik ten Hag, he always splits his No 8s wider.
“At times, we have seen Erling Haaland come deep to receive the ball, we have seen Rodri make runs into this space. This time, it was John Stones going into that space.
Carragher shows Stones on the ball with space ahead of him
“The space against Manchester United, every time they play Manchester City, is there and it’s always about how Pep Guardiola can utilise that space. They were constantly moving Manchester United around the pitch.”
Carragher insisted United had done their best to be compact but gave further examples of how City were able to create space centrally by dragging Mainoo and Casemiro out of position.
“Last week we were very critical of Manchester United for not being compact,” he added. “This team is compact.
Carragher again highlights the space created in the centre of the pitch as Man City attack, with Stones seen making a run across that space
“But which bit isn’t? It’s there [in the centre], because Mainoo is with De Bruyne and Casemiro has dropped into centre-back, because of the man-marking system they employ.
“John Stones was in there dragging Johnny Evans out of position. So, he is not just in there as a body, he is running the game from there.
“As I said, we haven’t seen this before in English football. It’s unique.”
Carragher then picked out the passage of play which led to Haaland missing a glorious chance in the first half at the Etihad.
Carragher again highlights the distance between Casemiro and Mainoo in the period of play leading up to Erling Haaland’s missed chance in the first half
“This sums it up. Again, you see the distance between Manchester United’s midfield players.
“So, this time, for Guardiola, it was about using his central midfielders to exploit the space from Manchester United’s man-marking system, and they should have gone into half-time at 1-1.
Carragher highlights Stones between the lines on the edge of the Man Utd box in the lead-up to Man City’s second goal
“Again, we are not talking about a centre-back going into midfield, we are talking about a centre-back going into the No 10 position. He is always between the lines.”
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