Football
Jonathan Smith, Manchester City correspondent 6y

Manchester City's John Stones: I'm better for overcoming tough spell

John Stones believes he has emerged as a better player after coming through a difficult period following his move to Manchester City.

England defender Stones joined City from Everton in a £47.5 million deal last summer but had a difficult first season.

However, he has been in fine form this season, re-establishing his credentials as a ball-playing centre-back, and is fifth for the total number of passes in the Premier League with the highest success rate at 96.6 percent.

City boss Pep Guardiola has praised the 23-year-old, who shone as England kept out Germany and Brazil in successive 0-0 draws during the international break.

And Stones told the Guardian: "I think my performances speak for themselves.

"I've done my talking out there. You can't argue with two clean sheets against two top oppositions.

"It's about having a look at yourself and where you can improve and not shying away from where you've gone wrong. And that's what drives you to be a better player."

Asked whether it had been a hard 15 months for him, Stones said: "Yes, definitely. Football's never easy. Me personally, and anyone in life, if it's easy, you want a challenge. Everyone wants to challenge themselves in certain ways.

"I now try to pass it on to the young lads and give them a few words. Like with Joe [Gomez]. It's short and simple. You don't want to flood his brain.

"That's what I found when I was growing up, playing in big games. I didn't want to have too much information."

Stones said England should be encouraged by their recent results at Wembley against the two-best ranked teams in the world.

"Knowing we've competed, brought them to our home ground, not scored but been so solid -- it's a step in the right direction," he added.

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