John Stones: “To keep another clean sheet and grab a couple of goals as well is great.”

John Stones is a man possessed. He notched his third goal of the season in a brace beating Crystal Palace yesterday. The delighted defener spoke to the press after the match.

Let’s see what he had to say-

“To keep another clean sheet and grab a couple of goals as well is great.

“I’ve been wanting to add goals to my game but it hadn’t been forthcoming which was frustrating.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to get on the scoresheet - maybe too much - but I’ve kept chipping away and it things have just come into place.”

“Two goals for myself so obviously I’m delighted! I put a lot of pressure on myself to score goals,” he said. “I need to contribute goals and bring that aspect to my game.

“I’ve been trying hard and the hard work on the training pitch from set-pieces is paying off. I’m glad to contribute.

“I feel very good. It was a tough game. The last two years we’ve not beaten them at home, so it was something we’ve worked on. Another clean sheet and another win to keep the momentum going.”

“I’m just trying to keep improving game by game and keeping these clean sheets is massive,” he reflected. “It’s a platform for the players to express themselves at the top of the pitch and score the goals.

“[Ruben] Dias has been great, he deserves a lot of credit since he’s come in and he’s adapted well to the Premier League. It’s been great for me to play alongside him, he’s so easy to get on with on and off the pitch.

“We take pride in it [clean sheets], it’s what we’re there to do and hopefully, we can keep it going especially because we know how vital they are in big games and games like today. We know it’ll help to keep picking up the points.

“We fought hard right till the 90th minute. We kind of take the credit for it at the back but we have to give credit to the whole team, starting from the front and how they press high up the pitch.”

“It’s always tough when you’re not playing and you don’t get a run of games and when you do you don’t perform to the level you can because of putting too much pressure on yourself.

“I said to a lot of people that I went back to the basics. I looked at myself first and what I can improve myself on. To keep fighting and believing in myself is the first and foremost thing that needs to happen.

“I did that and kept working hard, I kept the faith and kept grinding away and still trying to improve. I’m trying to do my best.”

Interesting comments. It’s great to say how he has re-emerged and is now a mainstay for this club. Hope it leads to more clean sheets and some titles!