STONES REFLECTS ON MAN CITY STRUGGLES

SINCE John Stones limped out of England’s friendly against Belgium in late March — having played in the goalless draw against Brazil a few days earlier — he has started only TWO Premier League matches for Manchester City.

He has been an unused substitute in 10, did not make the squad for one and has come off the bench in four. To say Pep Guardiola is going through a phase when he uses Stones sparingly is something of an understatement.

The 30-year-old, who won his 82nd cap when England faced Greece at Wembley last night, is in the middle of a spell when he starts more games for his country than for his club. But Stones insists he has the maturity to deal with a situation that is not entirely unfamiliar to him.

He says: “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.” Referring back to sustaining the niggle in that Belgium friendly, Stones gave an insight into how Guardiola and club managers sweat over their players’ international exertions.

He explains: “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.” — Mirror.

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