Manchester City star John Stones said that the team’s midfield and defense did not do anything special to thwart Bayern Munich’s attack; they simply just got in the way.
In particular, Stones said that Manchester City’s ability to block shots played a massive role in the match.
“Huge things like that (blocks) are always satisfying to watch, they don’t happen too often. We thrive off things like blocks. Ruben’s today, Nathan Ake’s, (Ederson)’s few saves when Leroy (Sané)’s hitting the ball we know what he’s like when he gets into those positions,” Stones told the Manchester Evening News. “They’re huge moments in games and especially in fine margins in big games like this, those are the key moments for me that matter and I think we should celebrate those. You can probably see from the stands that we do and it gives everyone such a big lift.”
Stones also said there were not many moments where his side did not feel in control of the match.
“Being together, I didn’t know about the possession stats but we always felt comfortable and even when they were 70 minutes into the game and we were kind of backed up onto our 18-yard box it’s about being calm in those situations, knowing that everyone’s in their positions and trusting in the process that everyone’s going to do their job and put their heart on the line sometimes,” said Stones.
Interested in an in-depth, two person review of the game? Well then check out our postgame podcast! Chuck and INNN harshly critique everything that went wrong in Bayern Munich’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City, from individual player performances to tactics, transfers, and the board themselves. Listen to it below or on Spotify.