John Stones has had little opportunity to settle at Inter Milan, with an injury interrupting his first few weeks in Italy just as the debate over his place in Cristian Chivu’s defence was beginning.
The former Man City defender made his first Serie A appearance from the bench before being handed his first start against Udinese. That game ended prematurely when Stones was forced off with a thigh problem.
Tests subsequently showed a muscular injury to the flexors in his left thigh, with reports in Italy putting his recovery at around three to four weeks. We have already covered the details of Stones’ flexor injury and the expected recovery timescale, with Inter hoping to have him available again after the international break.
It is another frustrating interruption for Stones, whose final years at the Etihad were repeatedly disrupted by injuries.
Bergomi questions Stones’ fit in Inter defence
Away from the injury, former Inter defender Giuseppe Bergomi has raised an interesting question about how Stones fits into Chivu’s back three.
Bergomi believes Stones doesn’t possess the same man-marking qualities as Francesco Acerbi and Stefan de Vrij, although he was complimentary about other parts of the England international’s game.
“Stones hasn’t actually improved Inter’s defence because he’s not a man-marker, like Acerbi and De Vrij. He’s a player who has experience, he’s a player who knows how to control the ball really well, how to handle the ball, very strong in the build-up play, but he’s not that sort of man-marker.”
It is an assessment of Stones’ profile rather than his overall ability. His strengths were familiar throughout his decade at City: composure in possession, passing through pressure and the ability to step into midfield when required.
Bergomi’s argument is that those qualities don’t necessarily make him the natural choice to occupy the middle of Inter’s three-man defence.
Lorenzo Bettoni’s assessment of John Stones was more encouraging. He felt Stones had looked comfortable in possession during his early appearances, although his display against Udinese had been less convincing before injury intervened.
Familiar competition awaits Stones at Inter
There is also familiar competition waiting when Stones returns. Manuel Akanji made his own move from City permanent in the summer, while Yann Bisseck and Alessandro Bastoni have also been prominent under Chivu.
Stones and Akanji are former City teammates but are now competing for places in a side that won both Serie A and the Coppa Italia last season.
Bettoni believes Stones can still force his way into Chivu’s team, particularly if Inter continue to make changes defensively.
For now, there simply hasn’t been enough football to judge how successful Stones’ move will be. His first task is to recover from the injury and give Chivu the opportunity to decide where his qualities best fit.
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