Why John Stones Is the 1 Everton Player Liverpool Would Love to Have
Brendan Rodgers finds himself in a peculiar situation as Liverpool manager heading into Sunday's Merseyside derby clash with Everton in that he can be truly envious of the individual talent that Toffees counterpart Roberto Martinez can draw upon—not least 21-year-old centre-back John Stones.
Jarring with the history of this intense derby in the Premier League, the likes of Ross Barkley, Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman and James McCarthy would all arguably demand a starting role if transplanted into Rodgers' squad, with Phil Jagielka, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin Mirallas and Muhamed Besic all representing competitive options when compared to their Merseyside equivalents.
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Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Sunday's contest, former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher described Stones as "one of the outstanding centre-backs in the Premier League at the moment," highlighting the England international as one of Martinez's key players in this rival clash.
While Barkley, Baines, Coleman and McCarthy would all provide a welcome flourish to Rodgers' first team, Stones is the one Everton player Liverpool would love to have.
The Need for a New Centre-Back
Rodgers' decision to move to a three-man defensive line was born of two key deficiencies in his side: firstly, the inability to flood the attacking third in a traditional 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, and secondly, the vast gaps in Liverpool's defence when fielding a back four.
The requirements of the modern full-back—and in particular Liverpool's first-choice options in Alberto Moreno and Nathaniel Clyne—are very much focused in the final third, with Moreno wholly suited to an attacking game—as his performance against Norwich City proved.
Utilising a three-man defence in a 3-4-1-2 or 3-4-2-1 allows Moreno and Clyne to push forward into the opposition's half, but this in turn demands more from Rodgers' trio of centre-backs.
Shifting from the traditional, libero-reliant three-man defensive system, Liverpool's back three instead emphasises the creative attributes of its flanking centre-backs.
Namely, these have been France international Mamadou Sakho and 21-year-old utility man Emre Can. Both are capable of bringing the ball out of defence and prompting attacks with incisive passing play.
But two issues have arisen in recent weeks: Can is not truly comfortable at centre-back, and Martin Skrtel's limited game detracts from the fluency of the system. Neither are long-term solutions for Rodgers in defence, and the Ulsterman should be looking to replace both within his back line in the coming transfer windows.
Signing a right-sided, ball-playing centre-back to replace Can, allowing the German to move into his natural position in midfield, should be made a priority—or, alternatively, a well-rounded upgrade on Skrtel, allowing the impressive Joe Gomez to take up the right centre-back role.
With Rodgers under considerable pressure heading into Sunday's derby, setting plans in place to do so may be little more than a parting gift.
The Parting Gift
In comparing two of the Merseyside derby's most distinguished managers of the Premier League era, David Moyes and Rafa Benitez, the notion of the parting gift is pertinent.
Benitez left Liverpool in the summer of 2010, after a long and successful tenure at Anfield, and while his Reds side boasted a number of world-class players in their ranks during his six years in charge, the player the Spaniard lined up on a free transfer for his successor Roy Hodgson was indicative of the club's decline.
In February 2010, Liverpool agreed a deal to sign Standard Liege forward Milan Jovanovic on the expiry of his contract, with Hodgson concluding the deal that summer, according to Sky Sports.
Jovanovic made just 18 appearances in all competitions for the Reds before joining Belgian side Anderlecht the following summer.
In comparison, Moyes' parting gift set the Toffees up for the period of sustainable success they are now entering under Martinez's guidance: The Scot secured the signing of Stones in a deal worth up to £3 million on the final day of the January transfer window in 2013.
"We’re pleased. He’s a young boy and I wouldn’t say that it is particularly for now," Moyes told Everton's official website, shortly after securing the deal. "He’s someone that we are bringing in looking towards the future and not for today really."
With Moyes' contract expiring at the end of the 2012/13 season, and Sir Alex Ferguson's impending departure from the Manchester United throne looming, this signing was very much the Jovanovic-style gesture.
Whether Moyes was aware just how quickly Stones would develop at Goodison Park, however, is unclear.
John Stones
Stones now represents one of the finest centre-backs in the Premier League, with his attributes similar to that of former United defender Rio Ferdinand: The 21-year-old is intelligent, defensively sound and comfortable in possession.
He is the modern-day ball-playing centre-back and is therefore an enviable commodity—as Chelsea's fervent pursuit throughout the summer proves.
Importantly, from Liverpool's perspective, he is right-footed and therefore represents the perfect defensive partner for the Reds' imperious left-sided option, Sakho.
Comparing Stones and Sakho's respective output for the 2015/16 Premier League season so far outlines a complementary pairing:
(All statistics via WhoScored.com and averaged per 90 minutes in the Premier League)
Like Sakho, Stones has proved his ability both in defence and moving into the attacking sector.
At such a young age, the Everton man looks set to follow the trajectory of Ferdinand into the realms of world-class—a rare distinction for English centre-backs, with only John Terry able to consider himself Ferdinand's peer in recent years—and, as such, Liverpool would be misguided to not want to sign him.
Convincing Stones to make the move from Goodison Park to Anfield would be a remarkable—and near-impossible—task for the Reds.
But the Everton man is the level of cultured centre-back Rodgers should be striving to sign in order to stabilise his defence and supply Sakho with a worthy centre-back partner.
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