John Stones lifts lid on angry Pep Guardiola speech in FA Cup final win over Chelsea | OneFootball

John Stones has revealed Pep Guardiola delivered one of his most furious half-time team talks in the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday, insisting the manager’s passion was the catalyst for City’s winning turnaround at Wembley.

Stones spoke to BBC Sport in the aftermath of the 1-0 victory – a win that secured the FA Cup and completed a domestic double for Manchester City, who are fighting for a domestic treble in the final week of the Premier League season.

The 31-year-old has confirmed his departure from the Etihad Stadium and will leave City this summer after an illustrious, trophy-laden decade at the club.

Stones was also reflective on a more personal level, describing the weight of emotion he is carrying as his final days in sky blue approach.

I’ve not seen Pep as angry as he was at half-time vs Chelsea, admits Stones

The England international pulled back the curtain on Guardiola’s half-time reaction, describing a rare display of raw emotion from the City manager.

“He was angry, to be fair! I’ve not seen him as angry as that, but it was his passion and he wanted us to show the desire to go out and win the game,” Stones said. “He says a lot about how we play against ourselves and we were flat in that first-half.

“It was more I think a willingness to run, press, put them on the back-foot. Just to show that fight and hunger to go and win a final!”

The revelation is a striking one. Guardiola is rarely described by his players as angry in the heat of the moment, with his half-time interventions typically characterised by tactical clarity rather than emotional intensity.

That Saturday’s occasion drew something different from him speaks to the significance he attaches to the FA Cup – a competition in which City lost their last two finals before Saturday’s win and into which he channelled everything he had to ensure a different outcome this time.

Stones: To feel all the love is overwhelming

Asked about his impending departure, Stones was visibly moved – balancing a desire to stay present in the moment with an awareness of everything that is coming to an end.

The centre-half added: “I’m trying to focus on the games coming up and trying to not get too emotional about what’s happening in a week’s time, and trying to soak everything in with my family and these kind of moments.

“I know that they don’t last forever and things move on. It’s been a really special time and to feel all the love off everyone is overwhelming really – and I’ll definitely miss it!”

The sentiment is entirely consistent with the emotional farewell video Stones released to announce his Manchester City exit in April, wherein the six-time Premier League champion described his time at the Etihad Stadium as having “smashed every dream out of the park”.

Saturday’s FA Cup winner’s medal adds another chapter to a Manchester City career that has defined him as a footballer – and he could yet walk out with another Premier League winner’s medal if Lady Luck shines on City in the final week of the season.

For Stones personally, every remaining minute in a City shirt is one to be savoured. The love, as he put it, is overwhelming, and entirely deserved.