Stoke City vs. Manchester City: Blues' Offense Is Better Than 1-1 Draw Showed

Manchester City hasn't beaten Stoke City in Britannia Stadium since 1998, and Saturday's 1-1 draw didn't alleviate that problem. Don't let the score fool you, though, the Blues still looked very much like a top-tier side.

The Blues would have had more goals if Asmir Begovic hadn't turned in an excellent performance for Stoke City. The Potters goalie saved seven shots, including an excellent stop on Samir Nasri with time winding down.

Expectations tell you to consider this game a disappointment, and it is. The Blues are an elite side, and they should win these games regardless of their recent disappointments there.

Draws are not the end of the world, and the Blues can take a few things from this contest. They did attack Stoke City's defense consistently, and they did play focused football.

With a trip to face Real Madrid looming, that's important. Madrid will provide a much stiffer challenge in their Champions League tilt, and the Blues will need every shred of offense they can get.

The Blues had 15 shots, putting eight on net. They possessed the ball 66 percent of the time and put consistent pressure on the Potters' defense. Failing to capitalize on more opportunities is a concern, but there are much larger concerns.

If the Blues hadn't put any pressure on Begovic and the Stoke City defense, that would be a larger concern. Football is a game of inches, and their mistakes are correctable. Without Begovic's superb effort, this wouldn't even be an issue.

Manchester City has to be tired of losing at Britannia Stadium. Stoke City isn't what I would call a powerhouse, and their struggles there fall closer to bizarre than anything else.

Some stadiums are not kind to certain teams, and it becomes more of a mental block. There was no doubting who the more talented squad was on Saturday, and they will be just fine with their UEFA match next on the docket.