Nickyboy wrote:Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:Mase wrote:Niall Quinns Discopants wrote:My point exactly. Sure he has improved from terrible depths where he was but I wouldn't consider him to be even among ten best players we've had this season. Even KdB with his supposed "down season" has been ten million times better player.
You genuinely wouldn’t consider Stones in our top 10 players this season?
How many clean sheets? It wasn’t all Dias.
It was mostly Dias. I can't even begin to explain how his movement and positioning covered lot of Stones errors and gave him the liberty to do what I suppose he does best ie throw himself in for 50/50 challenges.
I completely disagree with your evaluation of Stones (this season). He has made goal saving blocks, last ditch important tackles and even scored important goals. His whole demeaner has changed and that owes a lot to his own personal growth and development. He has really pulled himself back from the dead in terms of his City career and that isn't all Dias. Forming that great partnership has obviously been a huge factor, but a partnership isn't just one person. The way he plays from the back also helps set the tempo for the way we play and his rejuvenation has been pivotal in our amazing run this season, particularly as Laporte had suffered his own dip and Ake was injured.
He can't do his thing unless there's someone covering for him. in those 1-on-2 situations Dias drops back and let's Stones shine whereas before when he missed those tackles, which he has done this season as well, there was no one covering for him. Pretty basic centerback work really. Stones has 13 most tackles in the team and has 13 blocks to Dias' 19. Dias has twice as many headed clearances and, again, twice as many clearances. And suprisingly enough Dias has twice as many intercepted passes as well. I probably should mention that Dias leads the whole league in completed passes and is #5 in touches.
I think it's pretty obvious that Dias' fantastic work this season has been the key to Stones improving his level to "acceptable". But one of the best players on this team? Absolutely not.