Stoke 0 – 0 MAN CITY – PLAYER RATINGS

This is a guest post by lifelong City fan, Matt Jones.

Hart - Kicking still concerns me but a huge save on the 70 minute mark from Nastasic’s deflection. Other than a couple of smart stops, didn’t actually have much to do - 6.5

Zabaleta - Quite a quiet game for Zaba and only really came into the game when Navas was introduced. Didn’t stamp his authority on the match as he usually does, but made a couple of last ditch tackles which spared the blushes of Garcia and Nastasic. Despite not being as effective going forward in this game, he always looked solid in his battle with Etherington - 6

Garcia - Lack of positional awareness invited the opposition players to have a shot which, with Hart not being at his best recently, worried me. Lack of communication and lax marking also led to a remarkable miss by Walters when it seemed easier to score. Too many cheap fouls given away and he dived into tackles as if he was playing in midfield but that then left us exposed. All the instincts of a midfielder player in the heart of our defence and didn’t look comfortable himself. Playing in defence almost looks alien to him. He was also shrugged off the ball far too easily by Jones. I’m actually a fan of Garcia, but he is NOT a defender - 5

Nastasic – Didn’t look as comfortable alongside Garcia. Too many long balls over the top were overhit. Almost seemed like the hostile atmosphere got to him a little bit and he was troubled by Jones who was a real handful all afternoon. Tried his best to score an own goal and had it not been for a world class save, he would have done. Having said that he did read the game well a couple of times when the pressure was on. With a more permanent defender next to him, he’ll be back to his best - 6

Kolarov - Looked frighteningly composed and confident on the ball in the very early stages and came close to opening the scoring with a well hit free kick towards the end of the first half. Often sprayed the ball to the right for Milner but he was only ever effective when the ball was in front of him. As soon as he is turned by his man, you may as well give up hope that he’ll make a tackle. That happened all afternoon when the pressure was on. It is games like these which make you realise how good a player Gael Clichy is - 5

Rodwell – Perhaps a surprise selection ahead of Fernandinho, but a tidy enough performance. As hard as it is to get over us letting Gareth Barry go, at least we can feel comfortable that we still have someone like Rodwell in the squad. I enjoyed Rodwell’s role of keeping Shawcross quiet at corners, but again there was a lack of bite in the centre. The midfield never had the ball under control for long periods of time as he has been used to, so had much less of an influence. Unfortunately though he failed to ignite any creativity in his relatively subdued afternoon - 6

Y. Touré - Sat right infront of the defence so didn’t have much chance to create any chances. Again, had much more of a chance to push further forward when Navas and Aguero were introduced and had some lovely passes and touches in the second half, but it is the same old story – brilliant in patches, but usually annoyingly reckless and unenthusiastic. When watched closely, always moaning to the official about something - 6

Milner - Showed how valuable he is to the team when he tracked back a few times to help out when Zabaleta had let Etherington go. Other than that there is not much to mention. Looked frustrated all game really and never settled. Tried his best to influence the game but rarely had much time on the ball and was always pressured by Nzonzi and co when he did get the ball. Did better in the final fifteen minutes when Navas was introduced because the Stoke defenders were forced back but lacked that final killer ball. Didn’t do anything wrong, but it just didn’t quite click for him today - 6

Nasri - All too often we were on the edge of the box, Stoke defending in their box and Nasri passed it back. Plenty of running and willingness but a severe lack of end product  and creativity (same old, same old) which, with Silva out of this game, showed up even more. Bullied off the ball by Jones when the last man back which almost gifted Stoke a goal. Couldn’t keep hold of the ball and drifted in and out of the game. Pulled out his party trick a lot though – looking like he will launch into a tackle, only to half-heartedly pull out. Furthermore cannot take a corner to save his life. Rightly replaced by Navas - 5

Jovetic - Struggled to get into the game in the first half, and frustration evident with a 35 yard shot dragged well wide on the 40 minute mark. Saw a bit more of the ball in the fifteen minutes after the break and did well to rise high, hang in the air and get his head to a cross but arguably should have hit the target. Other than that, he looked to have a good connection with Negredo with some neat touches, shown by the almost world-class volley which went over the bar. Didn’t really contribute much, but not due to his lack of effort, mainly due to the fact Stoke pressured us and we couldn’t keep it in midfield! - 5.5

Negredo - Looks increasingly like a better Edin Dzeko. Much more physical and always willing to have a go at goal. Powerful with some great movement dropping off the last defender. Ran the channels at times and hustled Stoke’s powerful back four. Used effectively when defending corners and always seemed to get his head on them. However, a few petty fouls towards the end tarnished his otherwise decent performance - 6.5

Subs

Aguero – Tried too hard to do too much. Sometimes annoying how he tries to do it all himself but at least the dynamic changed when he came on which forced Stoke back. However, he didn’t have enough to come in and alter the pattern of the game - 6

Navas – Hugged the right hand side of the touchline and put a few crosses into the box but like Aguero couldn’t get through a confident Stoke defence. A few clever touches as the game petered out. Will be sure to start in the Champions League - 6

These ratings were compiled Matt Jones, a lifelong City fan who travels home and away. Matt has not yet been persuaded to join Twitter so you can give him your feedback in the comments section below. 

Follow @viewfromablue