Pep Guardiola’s men were held to a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday against a resilient Stoke City side. Stoke City are the first team this season to have kept a clean sheet at The Etihad stadium. This result is sure to shock City fans all over the world and the stalemate was another blow to the Man City’s title challenge as Chelsea continue to remain untouchable at the top of the table. Here’s how the Man City players performed.
Manchester City Player Ratings:
Willy Caballero – 6/10
The Manchester City shot-stopper was a mere spectator for most of the evening but was confident and solid when called into action.
Bacary Sagna – 4/10
Not the best performance from the French right-back as he was caught out often and was almost ineffective for the home side when attacking.
Nicolas Otamendi – 5/10
Had a few problems at the back and wasn’t able to get the better of Sobhi on a few occasions. However, he helped the team keep a clean-sheet.
Aleksander Kolarov – 6/10
Slotted in as centre-half but Kolarov being a full-back by nature, was instructed to play high up the field; almost like a midfielder and was spraying passes forward to his teammates.
Gael Clichy – 4/10
Similar to his other full-back, he was caught out as well and left a few spaces in the home side’s defence while making forward runs. However, he looked a bit more dangerous than Sagna.
Fernandinho – 5/10
Had a quiet game as he tucked in front of the back-line. He pushed forward after the break, but to not much effect as he was ineffective with and without the ball.
Yaya Toure – 6/10
Probably one of the best players in the squad, the Ivorian made strong and forceful charges, showing urgency and a wide range of passing abilities with impeccable vision.
Jesus Navas – 5/10
The Spaniard found himself in decent positions on the flank but lacked urgency and quality in deliveries. Was replaced by Silva.
Leroy Sane – 6/10
A mixed game for the young winger as he was a big threat to the Stoke defence with his pace and skill. He made some impressive moves only to be let down by his poor decision making.
Kevin De Bruyne – 7/10
City’s best player of the night despite having a quiet first half. The Belgian attacker was a handful and made a big impact in the second half providing lovely crosses into the penalty area. He looked extremely dangerous while cutting inside from the wings.
Sergio Aguero – 5/10
Tried his best to make a nuisance of himself in front of the Stoke goal but was well dealt with by Shawcross and he just could not get the better of the big centre back.
Substitutes:
David Silva – 6/10
Replaced Navas and made an impact off the bench coming close to scoring on two occasions for the hosts.
Kelechi Iheanacho – 5/10
Came on late and linked up well with Aguero but could not muster a goal.