John Stones claims Manchester City’s Culture Cub has spirit of the Crazy Gang
England defender reveals how close-knit the Prem champions are and why their unity will drive them to greater heights
IT is a City of superstars — but with the heart of the Crazy Gang.
That is one of the reasons John Stones reckons last term’s top dogs will never relax in their bid to become the first back-to-back Premier League champions for a decade.
The quality of manager Pep Guardiola’s runaway title winners has never been in doubt.
There is no questioning the fact they are the most gifted team in England.
Yet what outsiders cannot see is that, while Guardiola has assembled an all-star cast from across the world, the bond goes way beyond being colleagues.
Their newly released behind-the-scenes docu-series All Or Nothing gives a glimpse of how tight knit they are at City.
Now centre-back Stones has lifted the lid further and insisted it is a closer bunch of pals than he has ever seen in his career.
The madness of Wimbledon’s gang of wild men under Vinnie Jones may be missing, but the spirit is the same — only this time with a sprinkling of star dust in every position.
England ace Stones, 24, revealed: “We are so close and enjoy our football. That’s why the team has been so successful.
“You enjoy a lot of time with your team-mates and it is an unbelievable dressing room.
“Everyone gets on, no matter the language barrier, everyone mingles with each other.
“That really does translate on to the pitch. We have that bond on and off the pitch, and when you go through hard times they will be so much easier because no one is complaining.
“I have had experiences in the past, like my first club Barnsley, where not everyone got along and that made it difficult to take on to the pitch.
“Here, we know everyone has each other’s back and we can all call anyone at any time over anything.
“We know they are there to help, away from football, I mean. That’s a special thing to have.
“We’ve been successful because we have all worked as a team, whoever you are, wherever you play. We have worked on our responsibilities and know how each person works.”
For all the hard graft, there is also a determination to enjoy every minute as well.
A real sense of all for one and one for all.
That was shown when midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was so keen to be with the rest of the team he turned up for Wednesday’s premiere on crutches, just hours after the training-ground injury that will sideline him for months.
Another hint of City’s fun side came when Stones turned up for a golf day in a giant pink bunny costume.
Yet for all the rabbit, there is no larking around when it comes to this term’s targets somehow improving on last season’s bar-raising domestic exploits.
Conquering Europe is one goal. Retaining the title, which no one has managed since rivals United in 2009, is another.
Stones makes no bones about the determination to hit even greater heights.
He added: “That’s what we want to do, we would just love to win it back-to-back.
“Obviously it is tough, because last season we broke records.
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"But that’s what we have to set as a standard, to do everything again and more.
“We all know there are things to improve as a team and individuals.
“That’s the exciting thing, there is no point just thinking we can, it’s the willingness to actually do it.
“Everyone in the dressing room, even the young lads, puts their bodies on the line and buys into this winning culture. It’s very special to be part of.”
- ALL OR NOTHING: Manchester City was launched on Amazon Prime Video on Friday.