Stoke City 1 – 1 MAN CITY – MY THOUGHTS

Definitely a point gained, rather than two lost. As hurtful as the last-minute equaliser was, it must be remembered that the Britannia Stadium is a noticeably challenging place to visit, so for Man City to go there and return home with a share of the spoils is no small feat in itself. And yet it could have been more, which is the most disappointing aspect.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see the game for the first time in a while, so I won’t patronise you with in-depth analysis of player performances or a detailed match report. Instead, I will keep this summary brief but hopefully uplifting and realistic.

The convincing victory against Fulham certainly boosted our confidence, but perhaps it was expecting too much for the Blues to reproduce that vibrancy against a far more dangerous opposition in Stoke. They are side who do, as is mentioned with regularity, play to their physical strengths and use Rory Delap’s bullet-like throw to their advantage, but which side wouldn’t? What is oft-forgotten, however, is their propensity to play an attacking style of easy-on-the-eye football, complete with a number of high-class players.

City battled manfully, despite being overawed during the first half, coming out after the break to dominate the second period and take the lead courtesy of a deft and, truth be told, unexpected piece of skill from Micah Richards. That goal was cancelled out by Matthew Etherington’s last-minute drive, but I still take a number of positives from the match, namely our ability to work for each other as a team and attempts to play incisive football.

I won’t elaborate too much further, but it must be noted that despite a fairly nomadic performance, Mario Balotelli hardly argued with the referee, so Roberto Mancini is working his magic in one way or another with his volatile striker. Finally, that was the first time this season I have predicted the exact score so surely that bodes well for me predicting a City win in midweek against FC Red Bull Salzburg!