Pep Guardiola will have a near fully-fit squad for Manchester City's clash against Liverpool.
24.02.2024 - 21:05 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
John Stones played as an extra number ten for Manchester City at times in their Premier League win over Bournemouth - but that wasn't quite Pep Guardiola's pre-match plan.
Stones reprised his inverted centre-back role at Bournemouth and could be seen popping up in attack as City looked to make their possession count against a spirited home side. Phil Foden's first-half goal ultimately proved the difference, with City struggling to find a second goal that would have killed the game in the second half.
Speaking after the game, Stones reserved praise for Bournemouth's approach, adding that Andoni Iraola's side cause City problems with their man-to-man approach, prompting them to tweak their own tactical plan that resulted in Stones' unlikely attacking contribution.
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"We knew what we were in for watching Bournemouth pressing high, man to man, fighting until the end. We knew it would go 95, 96-minute game today. How we dealt with it is credit to us," Stones told Sky Sports.
"It's not easy to play man-to-man and how we usually do. To find spaces and use our threats and get a clean sheet is huge for us."
Explaining the City game plan that saw Stones as an extra attacker, the defender said: "To find the man free. Creating overloads and space for the boys up front. We went more into Erling [Haaland] and using that threat, it went well. Bournemouth stopped a lot, got men back, their recovery runs are great. We had to get forward fast."
With the Bournemouth resistance in mind, Stones found himself as the free player he referred to, and expanded on
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