“In the past, he was not like he is now": The change that saved John Stones' Man City career

direct to your inboxMichael Owen reckons Manchester City ace John Stones is "almost too good" to be a central defender.Stones has enjoyed a resurgence this season under Pep Guardiola and played a key role in City 's march to the top of the Premier League table and excellent defensive record. The England international was left on the bench for Wednesday night's Premier League clash with his former club Everton at Goodison Park.

straight to your inboxThe response to Barcelona's latest Champions League hiding has drawn a predictable response from Manchester City fans. Last season's 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich came before Lionel Messi announced his desire to leave the Nou Camp.

straight to your inboxJamie Carragher was fascinated by one of Pep Guardiola's tactical changes in Manchester City's victory over Liverpool.City beat Liverpool 4-1 in Sunday's crucial Premier League showdown at Anfield. It was goalless at half-time, with Ilkay Gundogan having missed a penalty, and Guardiola tweaked his system at the break.

straight to your inboxJamie Carragher is predicting Sadio Mane, Alisson Becker, Ozan Kabak and Fabinho will play for Liverpool when they face Manchester City on Sunday.Pep Guardiola 's side travel to Anfield to face a team that has lost their last two Premier League matches at home, having gone unbeaten in the previous 68 games on their own patch.

direct to your inboxJohn Terry thinks Manchester City are still the team to beat in the Premier League this season after tipping the current leaders for the title.City are now three points clear of Manchester United with a game in-hand on their neighbours.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has named a strong Manchester City side to face Burnley, with Aymeric Laporte picked at left-back. After Manchester United earned a record-equalling win last night, they moved level on points with City at the top of the Premier League, albeit having played two games more.

straight to your inboxManchester City will have to try to win the Premier League without a prolific goalscorer this season, Pep Guardiola has come to accept.Sergio Aguero has suffered a number of setbacks in his attempts to return from a knee problem that kept him out of the beginning of the campaign, while Gabriel Jesus has just three league goals to his name after another frustrating season.

straight to your inboxAs late as Saturday, Taylor Harwood-Bellis wasn't expecting to leave Manchester City on loan in the January transfer window. It had been made clear to a group of young Blues at the beginning of the month that they would all be staying with Pep Guardiola and his squad for the rest of the season because it was felt that their progression was best served staying in Manchester.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has pinpointed the chemistry between Ruben Dias and John Stones, as well as their ability to cut out mistakes from last season, as the main reason behind their brilliant partnership at Manchester City.Guardiola was reflecting on City's season to date, with half of their fixtures completed in the Premier League. City are top of the table, recovering well from a poor start to go seventeen games unbeaten in all competitions.

straight to your inboxManchester City could go to the top of the Premier League with a win against West Brom on Tuesday, albeit temporarily, with rivals Manchester United in action on Wednesday.City will be without Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker for the trip to The Hawthorns this midweek, with Ruben Dias and John Stones set to start once again in the centre of City's defence.Bernardo Silva should drop into midfield alongside Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri, whilst Phil

straight to your inboxA rule change has been introduced to the Premier League on the back of a controversial goal scored by Manchester City.Bernardo Silva’s goal for City against Aston Villa earlier this month caused a stir after Rodri, who was in an offside position, tackled Tyrone Mings to play in the Portuguese forward who then scored.Villa boss Dean Smith was outraged by the decision not to chalk off the goal, and was subsequently handed a red card by referee Jon Moss for his reaction.The

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola publicly played down Manchester City's difficulties against a Cheltenham side 72 places below them on Saturday, but his team selection against West Brom might give a more accurate reflection of his thoughts on the performance.City toiled for 80 minutes, falling behind to their League Two hosts, before rescuing a win thanks to late goals from Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus and Ferran Torres.Guardiola had made ten changes for the trip to Gloucestershire, with Foden

straight to your inboxAston Villa goalkeeper Tom Heaton has called for a review on the offside law after Manchester City's controversial goal on Wednesday night.Pep Guardiola 's side temporarily moved top of the Premier League table after beating Villa in a hard-fought match at the Etihad Stadium.