Man City defender John Stones says Pep Guardiola’s team failed to play the “right way to win” during the draw against Arsenal last month.
The Cityzens could have secured a 1-0 victory at the Emirates but a last-gasp equaliser from Gabriel Martinelli meant that the two teams shared the points. When asked about the performance, Stones said:
“It wasn’t planned to do that. When you’re in a game, you get different scenarios and a feeling of pressure or a sense within the game that you have to do that. The guys took initiative and did it, and that’s why it’s caused such a stir and become such a big talking point.
“It wasn’t planned and it’s definitely not in our DNA as a team to do that. We don’t want to. I believe it isn’t the right way to win a match. I’ve played against it enough to know how frustrating and difficult it is to soak up all that pressure for a long period. It was a mixture of things. Definitely not a tactical set-up. It was more just feeling the game, and it’s difficult to say.
Further reflecting on the display, Stones said that he wants City to be more positive if they are faced with the same situation in the future:
“Looking back now, it’s very uncharacteristic. We got a result, and I think next time, we have to go there and play our game.”
Man City recorded the lowest possession stats of Guardiola’s reign
To demonstrate how unusual the game was from City’s perspective, the away side only had 33% of the football during the whole game.
In Guardiola’s 9+ years in charge at the Etihad, the Cityzens have never had a lower possession percentage in a league match.
When is the return fixture against Arsenal?
The Premier League clash at the Etihad is scheduled for April, so there is a considerable gap until the two sides meet again.
Of course, they could be drawn together in the domestic cups or the Champions League prior to that date, but the next meeting is currently set to take place in six months.
Read more about the Man City First Team Squad for 2025/26 here
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