Whenever anyone is questioning whether Lionel Messi could prove himself in England on a cold, wet and blustery Monday evening against Stoke is quite possibly the biggest compliment that anyone could pay to a Stoke team. In times gone by a brick wall of a defence and a no nonsense midfield supplemented Peter Crouch up front with the wingers, midfielders, defenders and even goalkeeper constantly firing long balls into the box in search of a headed goal. It was a formula which would win no awards for finesse or style, but definitely got results.
It is interesting to note now though that this style is reserved only for the dying moments of a game for Stoke. They now pride themselves on a very attacking style of football with pace and power in abundance across the pitch. The acquisitions of Xherdan Shaqiri, Ibrahim Afellay and Bojan have added a flair not seen before at the club. Mark Hughes has been able to cultivate a team of immense talent to go with his solid defence.
Their opponents are also no strangers to talent. Manchester City are bereft with quality in every position on the pitch. Hundreds of millions have been spent on a team boasting the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Vincent Kompany to name a few. A weak title defence last season will have dented the pride of both player and club which seems to be spurring them on in this season’s campaign.
City currently sit at the top of the Premier League with 29 points, the same as second placed Leicester city while Stoke are 12th with 19 points from 14 games, 10 points adrift off Saturday’s visitors.
So what can be expected from the game? First and foremost it will be physical. While Stoke’s midfield is now a very flair orientated place, their defence is still akin to big tackles and physical contests which is also true of Charlie Adam who can pick both a pass and a robust challenge. Ryan Shawcross has always been an advocate of strong challenges and he leads from the front in this aspect, however his red card against Sunderland sees him sitting this game out. In his absence, Stoke will be without both their captain and best defender as they attempt to muzzle the goal machine that is City.
If they are able to halt City though then they will be confident of finding the net themselves. Shaqiri, Bojan and Walters will fancy themselves against a City defence which is once again without influential captain Vincent Kompany. While Nicolas Otamendi is a solid defender, his partner of either Martin Demichelis or Eliaquim Mangala constantly seems only a moment away from a mistake. This means that the injury to Kompany is a dire one and one which Stoke will look to take full advantage of.
Along with the prolonged absence of Kompany comes the injuries to Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, Pablo Zabaleta and to the influential Sergio Aguero. It would seem that if there was a time to play Man City, it’s now. They are there to be beaten with so many crucial players side-lined. In positive news, Joe Hart is available for selection while David Silva, who is arguably there most integral player, remains fit to play.
It is never easy to play against City, regardless of their injury list with players like Raheem Sterling, Kevin de Bruyne and Silva able to carve any defence open. It would therefore seem the game may become a ‘who can score the most’ with defensive frailties and suspensions hampering both teams. Therefore the game could be decided by the battle between two of England’s best goalkeepers in many years. Joe Hart has been the undisputed starting goalkeeper for England since the calamitous 2010 World Cup in which David James was used between the sticks. Hart has been in fantastic form for England conceding twice in the entirety of the European Qualification campaign while he has been in good form this season helping Man City to only conceding 14 goals in 14 games. Butland on the other hand has embraced his role as the underdog for the jersey. A string of superb performances most notably against Norwich and Arsenal have seen the young keeper rise to the senior England squad. He too has only conceded 14 goals in 14 games. With both defences weakened it may come down to the form of the two keepers who at last come head to head in the Premier League season.
The result of this game has massive implications at both ends of the table. Manchester City will be looking to stay top with a win but a loss would mean that all of Leicester, Manchester United and Arsenal could potentially go above them. While for Stoke they will be looking to lift themselves into the top half of the table. However a loss will mean the sides below them can make up ground, potentially dragging them into a relegation dog fight with Stoke on 19 points, currently 9 points clear of Bournemouth in 18th.
The question is, can Stoke take advantage of City’s injury list? They have already overcome Chelsea and at home Stoke are a formidable team. However without influential captain Ryan Shawcross they will struggle for defensive stability with Hughes having the employ a different partnership in central defence. Even with all of their injuries City are still the main title contenders. With match winners right across the pitch it is difficult to see any other result than a City win. The conditions could play a huge part in the game though with blustery conditions and driving rain favouring the home side. Even with this in mind, Man City should still come out on top.
Final score: Stoke City 1 Manchester City 3.
Source: DSG
