John Stones: Manchester City Title 'Chase Is Still On' After Newcastle Draw

Manchester City defender John Stones believes the team's title challenge isn't over, despite the Citizens falling 11 points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.

City drew 2-2 away to Newcastle United before the Reds beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1. It means last season's champions are off the pace in second and having played a game more than third-place Leicester City, who host Everton at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.

Even so, Stones isn't ready to give up the fight. The centre-back said: "The chase is still on. We fight until the last day. That's what we did last season. Anything can happen. Today we played some unbelievable play but those mistakes cost us," per Liam Prenderville of the Daily Mirror.

Stones also admitted the result at St. James' Park was "hard to take" and lamented the "two sloppy goals" the Citizens conceded to Jetro Willems, which cancelled out Raheem Sterling's opener, and Jonjo Shelvey, who equalised in the 88th minute shortly after Kevin De Bruyne looked to have given City the three points.

Woes at the back are becoming commonplace for City, who have now conceded in seven straight games in all competitions. Such frailty is the the result of key centre-back Aymeric Laporte being out injured, along with left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Their absences have forced Pep Guardiola into pairing Stones with converted holding midfielder Fernandinho. He's also had to recall Benjamin Mendy to the left of the back four, but neither move has given the Citizens the secure base they need to keep pace with Liverpool:

City's soft underbelly has been exposed not only by injuries, but also by a lack of depth in key positions. The failure to replace Vincent Kompany in the summer left Guardiola's squad dangerously light at centre-back.

Kompany's absence also robbed the Citizens of a true leader and organiser in defence, qualities that were in woefully short supply when City's threadbare unit was caught cold by a Newcastle set piece late on, allowing Shelvey to curl home an equaliser from the edge of the area:

Problems in defence are the main reason City have won just one out of five matches in all competitions. Yet the issues aren't solely limited to those playing at the back.

Protection for the defence has also been an issue since Fernandinho dropped into a deeper role. The Brazilian has long been the screen in front of the back four who often breaks up possession or blocks off attackers before they have a chance to threaten.

While his replacements in midfield possess more technical quality and forward-thinking instincts, they lack the 34-year-old's destructive aggression and positional awareness:

Picking the right position for Fernandinho while plugging the gap alongside Stones represents a challenge for Guardiola. He is aware of how costly City's penchant for shipping goals has become, telling BT Sport (h/t the Liverpool Echo's James Findlater): "But we didn't score, and we conceded two times from shots on target, so we have to accept it and work on our strength."

City's strength is creativity in attacking areas, where Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Raheem Sterling pull the strings. However, their artistry will count for little if opposition teams don't have to work hard to find goals against a defence creaking more with each passing game.