John Stones debunked the suggestion that Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were in ‘total control ‘ against Arsenal on Wednesday night.
It was suggested to the Manchester City defender that his team were dominant against Arsenal, but he made it clear that Mikel Arteta’s side require ‘a lot of respect and credit’.
At the half-time whistle, when John Stones’ goal was ruled onside by VAR, Arsenal would have counted themselves lucky that they weren’t further behind than just the 2-0 scoreline.
But despite coming back after the break, and making changes on the hour mark, there was no change in performance by the away team.
In the end, it was a deserved defeat, with a reporter putting it to the England star that it was ‘a display of near-total control against your nearest rivals’ and he issued the following response, as he told BT Sport.
“I wouldn’t say total control,” said Stones. “I think we have to give them a lot of respect and credit.
“We didn’t play the football that we normally do. From both sides, we had man-to-man pressure and it was very difficult to play our usual passes.
“We try to counter that by going early into Erling (Haaland) but I think the desire and how clinical we were. I think we could have had a few more.”
STONES PLAYING THE BEST FOOTBALL OF HIS CAREER
There is no doubt that Stones is England’s best defender and someone who is playing the best football of his career right now and that for a team chasing the treble.
Whether it’s defending against the best of the best, or coming into midfield and making life tough for others.
He is showcasing to the world why so much money was paid for the ball-carrying defender when he joined Man City from Everton for big-money in 2016.
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