Why Pep Guardiola’s father-son bond with John Stones is being tested to its limits

A golden nine-year relationship is being pushed by international duty and Manchester City’s range of defensive alternatives

Pep Guardiola embraces John Stones after the defender’s goal at Molineux (Getty Images)

Erling Haaland has scored the most goals for Manchester City this season. There is a case for arguing that John Stones has scored the most important. They have gained an extra three points courtesy of his injury-time interventions, in the 98th minute against Arsenal and the 95th at Wolves. Once again, he has become a talismanic figure: the hybrid of defender or midfielder in the treble-winning season now has a new role as a goalscorer.

If Guardiola and Stones is an enduring relationship, it is an intriguing one, too. Yet even as Guardiola eulogised about a player he claimed looked like his offspring, he criticised him too. Stones is the pseudo-son who upset him.

“I was never so angry like that moment,” said Guardiola. “Never before was I so disappointed.” The moment in question came when Stones limped off early in England’s March friendly against Belgium; a crucial friendly to prepare for Euro 2024, as far as the defender and his country were concerned, but for Guardiola it was a non-competitive match that came just before a potential Premier League title decider with Arsenal and a Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid.

Guardiola was frustrated last season when Stones was hurt playing for England (Mike Egerton/PA)

And, it is worth noting, Stones played in both legs of that tie. The injury was a false alarm, Stones an unused substitute for the stalemate against Arsenal before starting in the Bernabeu and helping change the game in a 3-3 draw by foraging further forward in midfield in the second half. Some of Guardiola’s irritation was directed towards Gareth Southgate; Kyle Walker was injured in the same international break, sidelined for longer and only semi-fit for the second game against Real, while the former England manager did not speak to Guardiola. “When I was a player the national team manager calls the clubs, now nobody talks,” he said, bemoaning an apparent loss of etiquette.

And yet, Stones suggested recently, his manager was also annoyed with him. “You know straightaway if he’s not very happy,” he reflected when – once again – away with England. “Players getting injured while not on his watch. There is a lot of weight and pressure, especially when you go away from your club then go back injured. You know how upset, angry and frustrated people there will be because they need you.” Guardiola’s complaints reflected the primacy of the club game, the reality City pay Stones’ wages. “Sometimes you have to respect the clubs,” said a man who, it is thought, could be interested in managing England in the future. “In friendly games you cannot be injured. You can play, absolutely, but you cannot come back injured.”

But there is also the backdrop of their relationship. This season, Stones has been saviour but not really starter. Since he proved the transformative presence at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, he has only actually begun 14 of 46 league games, just two of them since Euro 2024. Injuries and rests after international call-ups are a factor, the form of Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji another. Stones, more laidback than the intense Guardiola, seems philosophical enough to accept spells on the sidelines. But a curiosity is that he seems to spend swathes of every season on the sidelines, and often by managerial choice.

Only he and Kevin De Bruyne have been at City for each of Guardiola’s nine seasons, yet seven players have made more appearances for the Catalan, including Rodri, who joined three years after Stones. For a player who, after his reinvention, seems unique, Stones is also underused.

One explanation is that, ever since City were short of centre-backs in 2019-20, Guardiola has had a battalion of them. He nevertheless spoke about Stones in a manner to suggest he is a favourite. “John looks like he was my son,” he said. “I know his body language and everything about him. He’s one of the most adorable professionals. The only reason he wasn’t in was because Ruben and Manu were in incredible form.

Guardiola dishes out instructions from the touchline (AP)

“It’s not lack of confidence or bad form, he knows when he’s fine and when he’s not. Do you know how many games and training sessions we’ve had together? But it’s not just about that. Sometimes Ruben gives you something and Manu gives you something and they were unbelievably strong.”

The counter-argument is that, while Akanji tries to advance into midfield, he does not do so with the fluency of Stones; with Rodri out for the season, there is a theory the Englishman’s skills as a passer should render him still more important. Guardiola being Guardiola, there is a tendency to downplay the actual goals he scored.

“It’s not that he gave us one point against Arsenal or two points against Wolves with goals which were so important,” he added. “It’s not about that. You have to appreciate the incredible amount of things he does for us. I’m so happy to have him here still with us. I need him, I need all the players.”

If that need in part explains his fury when he thought he would be deprived of Stones, the idea that Alf Inge and Erling Haaland were the only father-and-son double act at City may be challenged by Guardiola’s interpretation of his bond with Stones. But families come with their complications.