Manchester City received a ‘humbling’ last season says John Stones | OneFootball

John Stones has admitted that Manchester City were put through a ‘humbling’ experience last season as they slumped across competitions.

The 2024/25 campaign saw City fall well short of their usual standards, finishing third in the Premier League and exiting the UEFA Champions League before the knock-out stage for the first time since 2012.

Domestic cup efforts also ended in disappointment, with Manchester City unable to claim the FA Cup for a second consecutive campaign having endured defeat to rivals United one year earlier, and this time Crystal Palace.

Suffering a run of surprise defeats that disrupted any momentum during a critical winter period, a squad accustomed to serial success prompted widespread internal reflection – a mood that Stones has now publicly acknowledged.

Fitness issues were a major theme throughout City’s season, and Stones was no exception. The England defender endured long spells on the sidelines with muscular problems and only featured sporadically throughout the campaign. Questions over his long-term future arose as a result, though he reaffirmed his commitment to the club during the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States earlier this summer.

With no intention of leaving, Stones now appears to be stepping into a leadership role, drawing from past triumphs to drive the squad forward. His comments this week come as players return to full training at the City Football Academy ahead of their upcoming friendly against Palermo, with the mood in the camp one of determination.

Speaking to reporters around their open training session at the Joie Stadium this week, John Stones spoke of the difficulties of the last campaign, and circumstances that the entire squad are hungry to put right this time around.

“One that’s humbling for us after all the success that we’ve had,” Stones said when the subject of the last campaign was put to him.

“It makes us realise what we’ve done as well, what we’ve achieved over the years, and how proud we should be, and obviously frustrated at what we did last season. It’s not what we want to replicate again, to finish third is not good and how we played through the season.”

The England international continued, “We’ve got to put that right, and get back to our identity, get back to winning matches, and having that presence about us and believing in ourselves as a team, and I’m sure we’ll fine that and bring it back.

“It was tough last season, to go through what we did. We’ve definitely come back with that fire in our bellies to go and achieve.”

Asked whether Manchester City will be ready for their Premier League opener away to Wolves, Stones said, “100 per cent! Now you’re back in it, had your time off, you just want to get going and get playing.

“We’ve got to use this time wisely as a team to fine tune things, and we’ve been doing that. Since we’ve been back it’s been great.”

Looking forward, John Stones’ renewed fitness could prove pivotal to Manchester City’s defensive setup this season, especially with ongoing questions around form and stability off the back of last season.

With no prospect of the 31-year-old leaving this summer despite contract talks shelved, club officials remain confident in his value to the squad – both tactically and mentally – as they aim to return to the top of English football.

Manchester City’s new arrivals and internal rebuild also point to a shift in emphasis toward rejuvenation and future planning. But as Stones’ comments show, the hunger among experienced players remains as strong as ever, and the opening game away at Wolves will offer an early test of that resolve, as well as an opportunity for City to re-establish their identity.