LET’S GAIN FROM PAIN
8PM Stones: Euro ache will spur City to final destiny
JOHN STONES says Manchester City’s charge towards a first Champions League final has been fuelled by the heartbreak of repeated failure.
City stand on the brink of a famous semi-final win over Paris SaintGermain after a stirring come-frombehind 2-1 win in the away leg.
And while Stones is taking nothing for granted against a side featuring the devastating talents of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, he believes if City show the same character at the Etihad tonight, a final berth is theirs.
They have missed out in agonising circumstances in this competition in the past four years, losing to a Monaco side featuring Mbappe in the last 16 in 2017, then Liverpool, Tottenham and Lyon all in the quarter-finals.
But having finally got past that lasteight stage, Stones believes Pep Guardiola’s side have breached a mental barrier.
“All those things that have happened, us going out, have made us a stronger team,” said the centre-half. “The disappointment of getting knocked out in harsh circumstances is hard to take and it’s something we have had to use, season on season but especially this season, as fuel to go and motivate us to make that next step.
“That next step is to try to get our goal, which is to win the Champions League. This season we have a great opportunity to get into the final, which hopefully we can do. We must try to use those emotions of disappointment to motivate us to do better.”
Stones and Ruben Dias shackled Neymar, left, Angel Di Maria and Mbappe in a superb second-half display from the Premier League champions elect.
But the way they had City on the rack in the first half last week serves as a reminder of the danger they still pose.
“To come up against two world-class players is exciting for us as defenders, to test ourselves and show our ability and see how we can adapt and keep them quiet,” he said.
“We did that really well in second half of the previous game.
“It will be another exciting spectacle and, hopefully, we can keep the whole team quiet, not just those two and get through to something special.”
Stones says that
City’s second-half the performance, in which they scored two away goals, was a game-changing moment for the side.
“It was a massive confidence boost, showing the character and the resilience needed to come from behind is not easy,” said the 26-yearold England defender. “We felt great pride and self-satisfaction after that victory.
“Those sort of moments are big, especially in the Champions League. They are something we can thrive off to bring into these next 90 minutes. It was a huge victory and has given us a lot of confidence.”
Harsh exits have made us a stronger team