“Nobody talks about him” – Pep Guardiola glows on the rise of John Stones and Nathan Ake at Manchester City

Following a stellar display at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night, Pep Guardiola was full of praise for John Stones at the heart of the Manchester City defence.

The England international was integral to the successful clean sheet claimed against Chelsea in the Premier League, especially during a first-half when the reigning champions were far from their scintillating best in all departments.

Stones was called upon on more than one occasion, but his sliding tackle to deny Christian Pulisic a clear goalscoring opportunity inside the City penalty area has been focussed upon by all those praising his performance.

Speaking after the game, Pep Guardiola was keen to highlight the rise of the 28 year-old centre-back, as well as Nathan Ake, who has gone from strength to strength in recent seasons, and played important roles for both club and country.

“He played an incredible World Cup and I know when he is stable at home, happy, good mood – what a player,” Guardiola said.

“He has had ups and downs in the past, had some injuries but I would say this is part of the process to realise what he needs – as he is still young – to be consistent. Now with him, with Manu (Akanji), with Ayme (Laporte), Nathan (Ake) – nobody talks about him but right now he’s playing beyond our expectations – as defenders, with how good they defend and all the actions with the ball, it is clever.”

Pep Guardiola continued, “These type of players help to make the other ones bright, like Kevin (De Bruyne) or Erling (Haaland) and the others. Always I pay attention to these type of things.”

Manchester City next go up against Chelsea once again, with Graham Potter’s side travelling to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon for the third round of the Emirates FA Cup.

This will be the third meeting between the two sides this season, and the second in cup competitions, after City defeated the West London side 2-0 in the Carabao Cup third round back in October.