Tribal Football

Stones admits battle to secure Man City place

Stones admits battle to secure Man City place
Stones admits battle to secure Man City placeAction Plus
Manchester City star John Stones has spoken about his selection nightmare.

The 30-year-old is experiencing an odd situation where he has played more for his country in recent months than City.

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While he has been experiencing injury issues, Stones may also have fallen out of favor with City boss Pep Guardiola.

On international duty this week, he stated: “I’ve been in this position before, where you are in and out and don’t really get a run of games, but you still know how important you are and you know not to get frustrated and to be there for the team.

“That’s what I’ve done and I’ve had a positive effect from the bench and when I have started as well. I’m in a positive mindset and I think that is really important because at times like these, more inexperienced players can maybe get frustrated and that has a bad effect when called upon.

“It means you’re not ready, you’re not in that positive frame of mind. It’s always frustrating when you want to play and I am always going to say I wish I could start every game but it is a long season and there are a lot of important games coming up.

“It’s something I’ve learnt over the years … to put my personal problems or feelings to one side and be there for the team.” 

He added on Guardiola: “You know straight away if he's not very happy at players getting injured while not on his watch, which is understandable. As players, we want to play every game, especially with England, considering how much that means to me as a player.

“But it's also about managing minutes and fixtures, all kinds of different things. I totally understand. He's more frustrated than I was. There is a lot of weight and pressure, from a lot of places, especially when you go away from your club then go back injured. You know how upset and angry and frustrated people there will be, because they need you.”