Manchester City will have to make do for at least a month with Ruben Dias but Pep Guardiola is happy with John Stones
Pep Guardiola sees maturity in John Stones which gives him hope that Manchester City can cope without Ruben Dias.
Giant centre-back Dias, who won the Premier League Player of the Season award for his first campaign in English football last year, has been ruled out for six weeks with a hamstring injury. If City can go ahead of Southampton without him he could miss both the Champions League quarter-finals, the Crunch League match at home to Liverpool and a potential FA Cup semi-final.
There is no sugarcoating in Dias' absence, but Guardiola still has two excellent defenders. Stones partnered with the former Benfica captain last season, while Aymeric Laporte debuted with them at Euro 2020 this year after finding his mojo again with Spain. Nathan Acke will need a back to be able to rotate, but the Stones and Laporte will likely play every game. can do together.
Stones struggled for years to overcome injury and personal issues that plagued his form at City, to the point where his future at the club looked uncertain in the 2020 summer transfer window. But he made a comeback last season, when Laporte made a mistake forming a rock-solid partnership with Dias.
After being dropped again at the start of this season, the England international is up for the challenge once again. As well as that reaction, Guardiola has also been impressed by the Stones' attitude that is open to improving himself and doing whatever he can to help the team.
"We started the season with Aymerick and Reuben. Aymerick was playing at an incredible level and we needed a left foot in the area to help us build up," the manager said. "Little detail, a good pass gives the center defender a chance to score at full-back to the left.
"Emerick was very important but John didn't play much because he got injured twice again, last season he was never injured. But now I think he's incredibly mature.
"I think [after] a few knocks given to him, he understands his profession, his life a lot better. The proof is when he played right-back. He wasn't always good, but he was exceptional. Defensive. Aggressively, aggressively, everything.
"That's why Reuben is expected to be out now, hopefully he can fit in and be there. I don't doubt John, but he knows he can do better and every game." There is evidence to do it better. Today we train with him there are many aspects that he can do better and I think he is ready and accepts that he can do better.