John Stones thrived last season for Man City pushing forward from either center-back or right-back depending on the game. The failure of John Stones to make the Ballon d’Or shortlist feels like a bigger outrage than the failure of Erling Haaland to win the award. The England player can anticipate receiving more starts shortly after Juanma Lillo said before the international break that he was almost ready to return.
The efforts Bayern Munich made to sign Walker and the Blues made to keep him will have more than made up for the enormous regret that he didn’t start the Champions League final after helping Manchester City win the Treble. Walker has never felt more crucial for Pep Guardiola on or off the pitch with Ilkay Gundogan now at Barcelona, Riyad Mahrez in Saudi Arabia, and Kevin De Bruyne out with a long-term injury.
Kyle Walker will face strong competition from John Stones for a place in the starting line up
The 33-year-old is suddenly springing up at the end of amazing runs to score goals for his national team. At the same time, he further emphasised his value to Gareth Southgate. Previously, Walker was so out of favour that he twice pondered retiring from international play. But recently, the 33-year-old has experienced another wave with the England team.
Even while Walker believes he can continue for the long haul, he won’t be able to play every game for City, especially when expected to fill Mahrez’s right flank gap, which isn’t actually filled in because Phil Foden stays inside. The members of Guardiola’s team are all too aware that there will always be a competitor for your spot who is equally as good. That might soon be John Stones for Walker.
There may be occasions when John Stones and Kyle Walker perform best together in an XI. But there will also be moments when they are vying for the same spot and John Stones appears to be the superior option for that specific game. Walker’s Yorkshire teammate is undoubtedly the biggest challenge he faces as he presently enjoys the highs.
Walker has looked as good as ever at the start of this season. Meanwhile, John Stones looked better than anyone had ever seen him at the end of the previous campaign. It is a matchup that both players will appreciate, and Guardiola would love to have it. It will be interesting to watch how the Pep Guardiola handles the two when he returns to work with City.
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