Stones has to repay faith shown by Blues
JOHN Stones ended last season frustrated.
City may have swept to a domestic treble but, whether through injuries or form, the England defender could not hold down a place in the starting XI.
He missed the Carabao Cup final and played just 10 minutes of the FA Cup final, starting three of the past 19 games in total.
There was more discomfort in summer but that was more down to the fact that he was conducting preseason interviews on a boat.
Managing to keep his breakfast down, Stones spoke honestly and well about his frustration at being left out but respect for manager and team-mates, and of the exciting times that were ahead with the new signings.
Fast-forward three months and little has changed for Stones. He looked good on the opening day of the season at West Ham, got injured, came back for the 3-2 defeat to Norwich, got injured, and finally got more than a half of football on Tuesoptions day when makeshift centre-half Rodri did his hamstring. In total, Stones has started five of City’s past 32 games since mid-February. Having trained last week, he could only make the bench as Pep Guardiola opted for two midfielders at centre-back against Crystal Palace and then Atalanta.
Rodri’s injury limits the manager’s
John Stones
even further but Stones can only put an end to his problems by taking the opportunities that he gets.
“Obviously, it’s always frustrating going through injuries,” he said after his Champions League return.
“To me, it was a bit of a setback, now I’m back. Hopefully I can stay fit and help to fight for every competition. It’s been frustrating for all of us, for the manager, for the team, all the injuries we have got. It’s been a difficult time for us but the guys have made a step up. They have done jobs for the team that they are not used to, so I give all the credit to them.
“Now, we [the centre-backs] are back, we need to try to stay fit.
“On a personal level, it was very pleasant for me to be back on the pitch and to see the lads scoring so many goals.”
Despite what some may think, City still have faith in Stones for the future but it is time for the 25-year-old to follow through with those words and put questions over his form and fitness to bed.