Defender opens up on his City revival ahead of the derby
John Stones Exclusive interview
‘There’s a bit of a funny story behind how long that went on.” John Stones is reflecting on his warm, lingering embrace with Ruben Dias at the end of Manchester City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in January.
City can open up a 17-point lead over the same opponents at the top of the Premier League table with victory in tomorrow’s derby at the Etihad Stadium, and few relationships better symbolise the runaway leaders’ spirit and pursuit of perfection than the burgeoning centrehalf partnership between Stones and Dias.
Dias almost looked like he had a tear in his eyes as he celebrated in the bosom of his fellow central defender, before the pair were joined by every one of their teammates in a huddle that underlined the comradeship, but there had been one small misstep by Stones.
“We’d actually gone to high-five and my hand slipped and I ended up poking him in the eye,” explains Stones, chuckling at the recollection. “We were buzzing having won, having kept another clean sheet and how we’d played. But I’m there, half saying, ‘Sorry, I’ve just poked you in the eye’ and half celebrating at the same time.
“It was a nice moment I will always remember. We’ve actually got some pictures around the training ground now of the whole squad after that game celebrating on the pitch together. It’s a moment that really showed the character and team spirit. The relief and emotion when the final whistle goes – I think we let it out in that embrace.”
They will have yet more cause to celebrate should City make it an extraordinary 22 wins in a row tomorrow and, if Dias has emerged as arguably the strongest candidate for the Player of the Year awards, then the resurgence of Stones – who would surely not be too far behind in any voting – has been one of the season’s most uplifting stories.
It is a tale of defiance and determination in the face of adversity, a refusal to accept defeat and a startling riposte to the doubters who, having forecast the end of his City career, are now witnessing the rebirth and growth of one of Europe’s most complete centrebacks.
Few things have made Pep Guardiola as happy this season as the renaissance of Stones, who is such a popular figure at the club that it is no surprise the manager’s feelings are shared widely.
It was a long and hard road back, though. A cornerstone of the England team who reached the World Cup semi-finals in July 2018, persistent injuries and inconsistent form took their toll over the subsequent two years. And when Guardiola named a back three compromising Fernandinho, Eric Garcia and Aymeric Laporte for the Champions League quarter-final against Lyon last August, at a time when City had already signed Nathan Ake and moves were apace to bring in Dias, the omens were not good. Yet, for all his frustration, Stones had no interest in a transfer.
“I was very frustrated,” Stones reflects. “The manager knew that. It was difficult not to play on such a big occasion, but I went up [to see him]. We didn’t have any sort of big conversation really, I just knew what I had to do – I just had to become better. And if the opportunity came – cherish it.
“I told him I was going to fight and not give up on anything – that’s not something that is in me, laying down when there’s some sort of adversity.”
Stones does not mind admitting there were some dark times, however. “One hundred per cent,” he says. “I couldn’t name a specific time but… I wasn’t enjoying not playing. I was sat on the bench game after game and it’s difficult sometimes to see a way back.
Sometimes that’s you over-thinking it or you’re not seeing clearly. I had to snap out of that quite quickly – stay positive.”
What people did not see or know then is that, for months before that Lyon game, Stones had been working, in the words of his City teammate Raheem Sterling, “like an animal” to get fitter and stronger and in a position to overcome the niggling injuries that had routinely compromised his availability.
The fruits of Stones’s labour were not immediately apparent, but they are now.
“I had to look at myself and what I could do to improve, to stop getting these little injuries and put myself in the best position to sustain the demands of playing every three days,” he said. “I just went away and dedicated everything to becoming better in that regard.”
Stones was a permanent fixture in the gym. He worked on his core strength, there were sessions dedicated to improving his overall movement and flexibility, stretching exercises and a focus on recovery. City’s nutritionists and sports science experts also reviewed his diet.
“We have blood tests and you get results about your magnesium and iron levels and things like that, so it was just looking at those small details – what my muscles need – that can help you sustain playing every three days,” he said.
It is a continual process. “I think it’s paid off, but I won’t stop now,” he says. “I’m trying to look for these finer details all the time.”
Just as Guardiola’s teams are ordinarily associated with bewitching attacking football, so Stones tended to be synonymous with the more aesthetic elements of defending – namely his passing and distribution from the back. But one of the biggest improvements in his game this season has been his relish and aptitude for the more rudimentary aspects of the game.
Guardiola has often talked about how Stones, more than anyone, has cut out those costly individual errors, and it has been noticeable
‘It’s difficult sometimes to see a way back. I had to quickly snap out of that – stay positive’
‘When we celebrate making a tackle – it sets the tempo for the team’
the gusto with which he and Dias celebrate a tackle or block, or taking one in the face.
“I think it’s a way of us celebrating something that we can contribute to the game – something that goes a bit under the radar maybe compared to the goals,” Stones says. “The first person that this started with was Phil Jagielka at Everton. If someone makes a big tackle or block it almost sets the tempo, so it keeps us in the right frame of mind. It’s a little victory.
“I think it sets an atmosphere for the team on the pitch – it says we’re on it. I love that side of the game. I think it should be done more and I think it should be shown to young kids who are up and coming that it’s a great attitude and mentality to have when you’re on the pitch.”
During this unbeaten 28-game run, opponents are averaging only 1.6 shots on target per game against City, and Stones does not mind admitting that they regard even a shot at goalkeeper Ederson as something of an affront.
“Definitely. We speak about it before the game, and during the game – our clean-sheet mentality. It starts from that.”
Stones and Dias have actually scored more goals (five) than they have conceded (three) in the 16 games they have started together this term.
“The boys [at the back] have stepped up over the years and scored some important goals and I think it was my time to chip in and score,” he says.
Stones is due to be recalled to the England squad later this month after a 16-month absence and he admits he is desperate to represent his country at the European Championship this summer.
“I think being out of the squads, watching the games on TV, all the things that come with not playing, was really difficult,” he said. “It would mean everything.”
Before then, though, he hopes to have claimed a third league title with City – and finally lay hands on the Champions League trophy.
“To have come up short in the seasons I’ve been here is frustrating, knowing what we’ve got,” he says. “It’s time for us to grab it with both hands.
“It’s a special competition and it’s something the club have never won. So there is a bit of added pressure, but we love that because I think we can make history again.”
You have to go back to middecember to find the last time City failed to win a game. A 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion not only forced Guardiola to sit down with his backroom staff and “reconstruct” the team, it also led the club captain, Fernandinho, to convene a players’ meeting that supplemented the tweaks made by the manager.
“As players we have to take control of a situation and the experienced boys in the dressing room can sense it sometimes, hence why we had that meeting,” Stones reveals. “It was a calm meeting where you could have your input if you wanted, or sit back and hear what others had to say. We’d set the bar so high in previous seasons, so it was about not getting frustrated. The message we got across was we’ve got to step up, but we’ve got to do it in our way.”
If City win another title this season, it is fair to say there will be a good chance of Stones showing off his dance moves in the dressing room again, as he did at Brighton a couple of years ago. Sterling describes his friend as a “smooth” mover and, judging by the video footage on social media, it is hard to disagree. “David Silva was like ‘Ah, come on Johnny, get up, you’ve got to get up, so yeah, the next minute I was like… just for the lads’,” Stones recalls. “I think it goes back to the days when I was with Ross [Barkley] at Everton, and seeing him dance was hilarious.”
So might we see Stones on Strictly Come Dancing when his football career is over? “No chance!” he says, laughing. “Not a chance!”
Stones has always had a knack of putting a smile on people’s faces. But now he has a big smile back on his own face.