Gabriel Jesus Talks Manchester City Defensive Issues, Fernandinho, John Stones

Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus has praised the job done by his team-mate Fernandinho in recent weeks as an emergency defender, but has said he thinks the return of John Stones will help the side "a lot." 

City opted against bringing in a centre-back in the summer following the departure of club captain Vincent Kompany. Injuries to Stones and star defender Aymeric Laporte early in the campaign have left Pep Guardiola short of options at the back.

Although City have struggled to keep things tight as a result, Jesus told City's website he's been impressed with how his compatriot has handled the shift in position and that he thinks Stones' recovery from injury will help shore things up:

"It's been difficult because we haven't had the right number of players in defence. We only had Nico [Otamendi] and Fernandinho, who was doing a great job, but isn't a defender.

"John's return will help us a lot. He is a great player. When you've got a player who is really good you can put him anywhere in the pitch and he will do a great job. That's what Fernandinho has been doing. Working to support the team, playing really well and helping us a lot.

"You can see he is a very experienced player and really good at what he does."

As noted by the report, Stones is close to a return to action for City, as the England international started training again ahead of their clash with Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

In their previous outing, their defensive naivety was on show again, as Wolverhampton Wanderers ran out 2-0 winners thanks to two goals from Adama Traore:

Otamendi, who is City's only fit senior centre-back, bore the brunt of criticism following that encounter, as he made some basic errors. Per Sachin Nakrani of the Guardian, the Argentina international continued to toil on international duty:

The result of City's defensive problems has been the team falling eight points behind Liverpool in the race for the Premier League after just eight games of the season.

Stones' return will be welcomed by supporters, although he was far from his best when on the field earlier in the season. The former Everton man toiled in another defensive meltdown from Pep Guardiola's side in September, as they were beaten 3-2 by Norwich City.

David Mooney of BBC Radio 5 Live looked at City's options at the back following the return of Stones:

Although there are 30 games left in the Premier League season, already it feels like City's margin for error is tiny. After all, they accumulated a whopping 98 points last season, with Liverpool just a point further back.

In attack, City have incredible depth, which means Jesus faces a fight for his starting spot. Sergio Aguero was expected to be a doubt for the match at Palace, but Guardiola said he's ready to play in a crucial game for the Premier League champions.