A year ago
With a Champions League victory, Manchester City defender John Stones could seal a stunning transformation from being practically an outsider to being at the forefront of Pep Guardiola's design.
The 29-year-old's future was in doubt three years ago. In the 2019–20 season, he had only made 24 appearances, and the team had invested over £100 million in Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias, two center-backs.
Guardiola acknowledged that summer that a player lacking in confidence would depart, and the next season, he missed the first seven of the team's first eight league games without playing a minute.
But over the course of three seasons, he drastically improved things to the point where he is now seen as an essential component of his manager's most recent tactical change—the practice of having defenders play as midfielders when the team is in possession.
In 2020, Stones recalled that moment as "probably one of the hardest in my career."
"I literally went back to looking at myself first, being extremely critical of myself and what I could do better on the football field, and then looking into every small detail, down to what food, what training, and what extras."What that amounts to is accomplishing things here and then working at home, even late at night or just after the train.
Many players have departed during that time, and for Stones, Guardiola's penchant for getting rid of full-backs might sometimes be too close for comfort.
The former Everton defender, though, never thought about looking for possibilities elsewhere.
"I never gave that any thought. I believe that you have destroyed yourself the moment you accept that or adopt that thinking.
"I've been here since I always wanted to, and I adore it to pieces. I needed to convince myself. I never said, "It was because I want to prove to you," to anyone.I believe that, more than anything, you need to demonstrate to yourself that you are deserving of being here.
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