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Clean sheets have once again become a currency for Manchester City and John Stones couldn’t be happier. The 26-year-old, who is one of England’s best defenders, has been at the center of things for the past month as Pep Guardiola’s side have not conceded for 485 minutes.
From the moment you initiate a Zoom call with Sportsmail’s Micah Richards, it’s clear the city’s No. 5 is in a great mood. We’re here primarily to discuss Saturday night’s Manchester derby, but the Stones have a lot more to discuss at the end of a challenging year.
Throughout 45 engaging minutes, Stones, who has won five major awards since his £ 47 million trade from Everton in 2016, tackles a number of major issues, from how he regained his place at City to the pain of watching England from afar. DOMINIC KING from Sportsmail listened.
Richards: Okay, Stonesy, I’m giving you a simple to start with: how does it feel to be back on the team?
Stones: Oh buddy! (pauses) I really don’t know how to say it (pauses again) I’m just… happy – glad to be back there, showing what I can do and helping the team. The times that I have not been on the side have been difficult. You will know what it is like when you are watching and not playing, sitting in the stands.
Being a fan on the sidelines is never what you want as a footballer.
It has shown me a lot about myself. It has given me that advantage to prove to myself that I am not a coward. I’m not someone who’s going to lie down and let these things happen. You have to look back and think, ‘What are the little things that I can do? How can I put myself in the best position to play? ‘
So I have trained hard every day and wanted to give the coach a problem. That’s all you can do, isn’t it, Meeks?
Richards: Tell me! I’ve been in that situation. My only problem when I was at City was that I didn’t have the opportunity to change things. Pablo Zabaleta was at my post and he was doing very well …
Stones: I don’t mean to say I’m back to show everyone what I can do. Everyone here knows what I am capable of and what I bring to the team. Not only soccer, but as a person. That is something important for the difficult moments of a season: what characters do you have in the dressing room?
I think one thing that I have contributed since the start of the season is the talking side, keeping everyone focused. Convey the clean sheets mentality. That’s the platform for us to go and win, let’s let the guys at the top express themselves. These clean sheets matter.
Any team that keeps a clean sheet, the confidence you take away. The feeling is transmitted to each game and you keep bouncing. It’s contagious. When someone is in shape and scoring goals, it’s the same for a defender.
Richards: So I’m going to put you in a bind now. What would you say was your best moment with the Manchester City jersey?
Stones: (pause) Hmm. Best moment….
Richards: I have one, and I think it defines you as a player, and I want to see if you feel it’s the same.
Stones: I’m still thinking …
Richards: It’s the goal line clearance against Liverpool (January 2019). It was this close (squeeze thumb and index finger together). You don’t do that authorization, you don’t win the game. You don’t win that game, you don’t win the league. It’s an ‘Agüero moment’, that’s how big it was …
Stones: You know that in those big games when something like this happens (Stones cleared the ball under pressure from Mohamed Salah with 11 millimeters to spare), you can only look back and be proud. Look, that moment is up there.
My thought process was: I’m taking everything here! When the ball was spinning and Eddy (the City Ederson goalkeeper) was running, I thought, ‘I’m not risking someone getting between us.’ So it was like this: well, I’ll take the lot.
Richards: Look, it’s important that people hear you talk like this. People have the perception that it is about style, being good on the ball and passing out from behind. The horrible side clearly means more to you than anything else …
Stones: Oh definitely. Listen, he (Guardiola) wants defenders to defend as much as any other coach I’ve worked for: Gareth Southgate, Roy Hodgson, David Moyes, Roberto Martinez included. Yes, I am confident to show my ability when we are in possession of the ball and we start. But I’m going to go back to the first point about clean sheets: that’s the platform. Whatever is in front of me, it was being removed from the box.
Richards: I knew when City signed you that you were going to win trophies. There he is, England’s best defender. Listen to me, you should never doubt yourself. I’d say I knew I had a chance to succeed here. However, until you do, you wonder if it will happen …
Stones: Exactly. That is why the first trophy stands out. These were things that I never thought I would get my hands on. I never imagined what it would be like to win a trophy. You see it all the time on TV, right? You see other teams dancing and looking so happy.
The FA Cup was special, more so for my family. They had seen him all their lives and had an attachment to him from the killings of giants and things like that. But that first Premier League (2018), when we got to raise it at home with our families there. Everything was unforgettable.
Richards: It’s great to see you smile here again. I know there are critics out there and on social media who want you to fail …
Stones: I think going from being out of the team to contributing again sounds cliché, but you learn a lot about what matters and what you take for granted when you’re playing. Now I go out and I have the feeling that I know what it’s like to sit on the stage. I don’t want to be that person who isn’t playing games. I want to prove to myself that I am not a quitter. I am fighting for my place here and fighting every day, doing everything I can.
Richards: What was the most difficult point for you when you were out of the team? You said something earlier that stuck in my mind about not wanting to be a spectator. It’s exactly that …
Stones: Yes, but I’ve always been interested in the team. I put my personal opinions aside on game day. That shows a lot about someone’s character. It informs you of someone’s desire to win, putting the team first. During training, he was just fighting and he knew the only way to do it was by working hard. I tried to improve … many things! (self-deprecating laugh)
Any player who doesn’t play in the big games knows: it hurts. So I used it for fuel. You say it’s good to see me smile, well, I’ve been happier with myself, even when I wasn’t playing. Going the other way (sulking) was going to have too negative an effect. It would have started to affect training, my performances. It is difficult to express it.
Richards: People saw City sign Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake over the summer; Eric Garcia was in front of you. How do you react to these situations?
Stones: I see it as motivation. I like the challenge. It was like when Vinny (Vincent Kompany) was here and they signed Nico Otamendi and me. He loved the challenge. Whatever it is, football or not. I am the same. It’s another fight. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t. I have not overcome the things that I have done to not continue fighting. I want to prove myself for the team.
Richards: There was a lot of negativity on social media. People say that footballers don’t look at it, but you know it’s there. You shouldn’t take it seriously, but these people are making a difference in how people are perceived. It affects you?
Stones: I don’t have anything on my phone. Nothing. No social media. That is something that players can control. What they see and what they do not see. I’ve always said it’s my family, the coaching staff, my teammates and my friends – those four groups, their opinions really matter. Not someone who says something on Twitter. If those closest to you can look you in the eye and tell you that today you did this, this and this wrong, you will listen.
Richards: Let’s talk about England: I’ve looked at teams this fall and couldn’t understand how you haven’t been. I understand that Gareth Southgate has a rule that players must play for their clubs but you have not. He played for England for nine games …
Stones: (clear change in behavior) It hurts. It really does. Playing for England… (considered pauses) I can’t put into words what it means to me. It is difficult when you are not selected and you cannot contribute to anything and be part of everything.
I want to participate in the journey that you are on. But again, it’s something that has made me work even harder. I’ve literally examined the smallest details of everything: diet, gym, lifestyle. I’m literally doing everything I can to stay with the City team and then hopefully get back to the England team.
I have tried to find out what I need before a match, what I should eat to recover. What I need to refuel before a game. Little things like that make a big difference. Stay hydrated What you should eat. I can use all of these things at the club by talking to the doctor and getting my blood results.
Literally finding everything you can improve. All those little things have an effect on your lifestyle. It doesn’t happen overnight. It happens for months and I feel better about it. Sometimes things happen and you think they have worked. It’s like a superstition, right?
Richards: I know exactly what you mean. You will have a game, you will play very well and you remember that you placed your left shin first. I have to do that all the time now! You’ll eat something for a week and think ‘I have to eat that again!’ Anyway, come on: it’s derby day. Tell me about Manchester United….
Stones: Oh man … It’s always a tough game. Everything goes out the window when you play them. I don’t think previous results or current shape count. We feel very comfortable with our style of play and our approach to the game. But this is the pride of the city. They are going to be excited as we are always excited about every Derby game. There is pride at stake. It’s something I definitely thrive on. Boys too. This is another step for us to progress and try to regain the title. It’s going to be a good and tough match and hopefully we can …
Richards: (laughing) I’ll finish that sentence for you… WIN!
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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