John Stones tells Man City teammates to 'use the pain' of Aston Villa defeat

John Stones has told his Manchester City teammates to "use this pain" to pull themselves out of their current slump.

City lost 1-0 at Aston Villa to fall to fourth in the Premier League table, six points behind leaders Arsenal. It was their fourth consecutive match without a win - currently the longest winless run in the entire league.

On a night where they were outplayed by the hosts, one bright spot for the Blues was the return of Stones who started in midfield with Rodri absent due to suspension. And Stones sent a message to the squad that defeats like this should be used as fuel to try and regain their focus and bring themselves back to form and to chase the leading pack.

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He told club media: "We have to use the hurt and the pain that is within us, our stomachs, our brains, wherever it might be, as motivation and fuel to put things right. I think everyone has that desire.

"We've been in these positions in previous seasons. I don't think we or everyone should be hyping about what is going to happen.

"I think we have to stay calm as a team, which I think we will do tomorrow once we've analysed it and settled down emotionally.

"We win and lose together. I think we all could have done better tonight. I believe in us as individuals and as a team. We've got a great opportunity with a game coming up so soon on the weekend to put things right and to get back to winning ways.

"We need to not forget this feeling, but not dwell on it either. We have to use this pain after all the success we've had, I think it can work in our favour and make us even better as a team."