Mark Hughes’ side came away with a famous win at the Britannia Stadium last night as the Potters eased past a poor Manchester City.
Marko Arnautovic scored both of the game’s goals, which came within the first 15 minutes of the start. The Austrian had more than enough chances to claim his hat-trick, but a combination of saves by Joe Hart as well as the post denied the 26-year-old and his side a third goal. Stoke simply outplayed the Sky Blues who are evidently struggling in the absence of key players.
Stoke on a good run
The Potters have gradually put together a good run of form, only losing once and conceding twice in their last five league games. They currently sit in 10th position in the table, a great achievement considering their relatively poor start to the season. Impressive performances against City and Chelsea are indicators of what this set of Stoke players are capable of, with there being no signs of the team slowing down.
Stoke are no longer a ‘long-balls into the box’ team and they made that very clear as they ripped apart the City defence on more than just a few occasions. They also have the fourth-best defensive record in the league, with Jack Butland recording six clean sheets.
City’s problems continue
City have now failed to win any of their last four away games and have also thrown away their pole position and dropped down to third spot, level on points with neighbours Manchester United. Manuel Pellegrini has had to witness some appalling defending from his back four in recent weeks. Injuries to Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala have forced the Argentine to start with Martin Demichelis, who has yet to put in a decent defensive performance for his side this season.
The Potters managed to open up the City defence with ease as defensive frustrations continue for Pellegrini. Besides their leaky defence, City have also had a few problems in attack. In the absence of Sergio Aguero, City seemed to have lost their attacking threat that was clearly visible at the start of the season. Wilfried Bony has not stepped up at all this season, prompting City to hunt for a striker in January.
The only good news for City fans is that Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero, Pablo Zabaleta and Yaya Toure are all expected to make a comeback by next week when the Citizens welcome Swansea to the Etihad.
The league table
Continued poor away form has hindered the Sky Blues’ chase for the title, as unlikely yet deserving Leicester City currently hold pole position in one of the most unpredictable Premier League seasons yet. City are currently relying heavily on home games to get the points as Pellegrini will want to sort out his side’s issues as soon as possible.
The next few weeks could determine if City are actual title contenders as they face an extremely tough set of away fixtures against Arsenal, Leicester City and in-form Watford. Stoke on the other hand have benefited from their good run of form which has seen them enter the top half of the table.
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