Agreed. Many great players in the past, especially defensive players, can play in multiple positions if needed. Of course they have favorite spot, but playing elsewhere didn't hinder their development or reputation at all. Beckenbauer, Breitner, Desailly, di Livio, Zambrotta, Thuram, Hierro, Matthaus, and Helguera just to name a few.
Phil Jones
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Agreed. Many great players in the past, especially defensive players, can play in multiple positions if needed. Of course they have favorite spot, but playing elsewhere didn't hinder their development or reputation at all. Beckenbauer, Breitner, Desailly, di Livio, Zambrotta, Thuram, Hierro, Matthaus, and Helguera just to name a few.
I'm fairly certain he partnered Smalling in a couple of the FA Cup games, certainly against West Ham at home.
So he did. Weird as apparently that game doesn't exist according to that website even though it has other FA Cup games.
He's a far better defender than midfielder. Those who count him as a midfielder are wrong, he should only ever be used in defence and we should do our best to develop him as a centre half because he has the potential to become world class there. Play him 7 times out of 10 in midfield due to lack of other options and he'll end up being an average midfielder at best.
Absolutely agreed.
He was great today although an error of judgement for Aguero's goal. But I think we can mostly put it down to Aguero's quality speed, touch and working a dangerous area and then a very good finish. For me Jones was 90% of a Vidic for the vast majority of the match and a good reminder to those who question him at CB. He was playing like this for the England under 21s after we signed him and its why I was excited by us signing him
Only player of our team to come out with any credit after the match. He'll be a star.
Very good match, proper performance.Fought like a warrior
Jones was great again, this whole season he's been so much better at centre back. He looked a liability there at times last year but nothing of the sort now.
Still like him in midfield as well though.
Still like him in midfield as well though.
Would have been miss of the season if not for Kompany!
Very true! However I choose to give him the credit and appetite for getting right up there almost on the goal line to try and score the goal to get back into the game.spot on sarni
Could he have done better with the Aguero goal ?
Was done a bit for the Aguero goal but he looks a quality centre back prospect.
Was one of the few who treated the match with the intensity it deserved. MOTM by several country miles.
Yes. Of course. But thats one mistake where Aguero shows his own quality and Jones doesnt have time or anyone to bail him out
Yes obviously, it was poor defending from Jones.
Thought so as well.
He waited for Welbeck to cover Aguero from the other side and then was a bit flat footed and late to react as a result.
A great performance from him overall but should have done better for the Aguero goal no doubt.
Fair play to the lad he's done a job on Bale and Ronaldo in recent months then was probably our MOM tonight in his first game in center defence for god knows how long. He's a top talent.
I think Jones reads that Aguero is going to shoot and looks to position himself to block, then doesnt have time to catch Aguero when he takes his tight touches into a better goalscoring position
I've seen him make that face before but it still cracks me up. That's caption competition material right there.Good contender for the "miss of the season that ended up as a goal anyway"-competition.
Played very well today. Could possibly have done a bit more for Aguero's goal, but a lot of other players could've helped as well. Don't really understand how he was allowed to run like that with only Welbeck and Jones trying to stop him.
Played very well today. Could possibly have done a bit more for Aguero's goal, but a lot of other players could've helped as well. Don't really understand how he was allowed to run like that with only Welbeck and Jones trying to stop him.
That's exactly what he does, completely sells himself, poor defending. He was good aside from that and he'll learn, that's why I want to see more of him at CB.
Aguero's goal was almost a carbon copy of the famous goal of last season.
Don't like him as a CB really.
Spent the entire game with his hand strapped to an invisible Van de Graaff generator.
He's young, he's not mastered the art of defending yet but what was good was his effort. If the rest of our players put as much in as he did, we'd have probably gotten a result.
Weird.
Sir Alex on Jones:
"Magnificent. He's only played two games at centre back this season [before today] and that tells you how good a player he is. The boy could be anything, absolutely fantastic."
Think some are being a bit harsh. I think that was a mistake that any of our CBs might of made on the day. And if he had blocked the shot he thought was coming, or if he correctly read that Aguero was going to take touches to work a better position and he sees the threat off, it would simply capped off a top class CB performance. Its those kinds of things that meant Rio or Vidic were the words on people's lips at the end of a match when they were at their best, and of course Jones fell short today right at the end but lets just remember what he fell short of. He didnt fall short of putting in a fantastic defensive performance, he fell short of putting in a performance that world class defenders like Vidic or Ferdinand would have been proud of in their prime. Give him another year and he'll probably make that vital block or read that dribble and top off an incredible performance like Rio and Vidic have done before him. Remember Rafael making mistakes last season and how Sir Alex said he'd learn from it and come back stronger? Look at his performances this season
Yeah well Fergie stick to him as a CB. He really isnt a midfielder.
He's a better reader of the game than some of the Caf' gives him credit for. In Jones, Smalling and Evans we've got three well-rounded CBs for the future.
Just a shame that the positions in front of them are in a state of flux.
Just a shame that the positions in front of them are in a state of flux.
Of course you don't because he's been your main excuse for our lack of midfielders forever. You're one weird fella.
No, he couldn't be anything. He'll be an average right back, a poor midfielder or an excellent centre half. Up to you Fergie.
Yeah but it was Aguero and we all know how fast he is with the ball, Jones was trying to catch up with him and make a block but was too late. He was at fault but it wasn't really a big mistake. He was immense the rest of the game.
If we keep playing him there he'll learn to position himself even better, he's naturally equipped to play in that particular position and if we give him the chance he'll be up there with the most talented players such as Varane, Hummels or Nastasic. Play him in midfield though and we'll be wondering who to replace him with in a couple of years, he'll never be good enough there.
It's a really silly case because if we don't sign a midfielder in the Summer we'll not only be fecked over in the middle of the park by all half decent teams next year but we'll also risk wasting Jones talent like we did with Anderson by playing him in the wrong position consistently.
I cant fault the performance of Jones for me he was the man of the match for united. He plays with loads of passion and aggression, he is definitely one talented individual.