Stoke 2 Manchester City 0: How City could have avoided defeat and stayed top of the Premier League

ANALYSIS: We've teamed up with Sports Interactive, the makers of Football Manager, to re-run one the weekend's key games to see how the losers might have prevailed had they done things differently

Stoke forward Marko Arnautovic celebrates after scoring against Manchester City (Getty Images)

Manchester City crashed to a 2-0 defeat to Stoke at the Britannia Stadium as Marko Arnautovic ran riot to put the visitors defence to the sword in devastating fasion.

THE RE-RUN

With Stoke's team and formation remaining the same, Sports Interactive simulated the game over again with various Manchester City line-ups and tactics until it produced an alternative result.

Formation: 4-2-1-3

Line-up: Hart, Sagna, Demichelis, Otamendi, Kolarov, Fernando, Fernandinho, Delph, De Bruyne, Sterling, Aguero (One change from Saturday’s line-up; Stoke remain unchanged)

Final score: Stoke 2 Manchester City 0 (Arnautovic x2)

Manchester City have to radically change their tactics to overcome a determined and confident Stoke side in this virtual replay of Saturday’s shock result at the Britannia. Two second half goals from De Bruyne and Aguero earn City the three points but the manner of their defensive performance is the most impressive aspect of their performance.

The virtual Pellegrini’s biggest task is to find a way to adapt to not having Vincent Kompany in the heart of his defence - something that has already cost City against Liverpool and Tottenham this season. By changing to a 4-2-1-3 and dropping Fernando and Fernandinho deeper to provide additional cover for the defence, City are able to quell the threat of a Stoke side who have played with attacking intent at home. City also focus their play down both flanks, allowing De Bruyne and Sterling to utilise their pace and skill against Stoke’s full-backs.

City’s attacking trio are a tour de force with the change in tactical approach not hindering their ability to dominate proceedings. Sterling and De Bruyne complete nine combined dribbles into Stoke’s eighteen yard box and create four clear cut chances for their team and, in addition, Aguero ends the match with a goal and an assist to his name. Delph also performs well in his role as City’s engine room, completing seventy-three percent of his passes.

A cagey first half sees relatively few chances created by either side with City adjusting to their new tactical shape and Stoke struggling to find a way through City’s reinforced defensive numbers. Sterling wastes the best chance of the half as he runs onto an Aguero through ball only to blaze his shot well wide when bearing down on goal.

City start the second half much livelier than Mark Hughes’ men and are justly rewarded with their opening goal after fifty-three minutes. Delph collects the ball just inside the Stoke half and sprays a powerful ball out to De Bruyne. The Belgian plays a neat one-two with Aguero before rifling a shot into the Stoke net.

Manuel Pellegrini (GETTY IMAGES)

Aguero adds his name to the scoresheet after seventy minutes with a sublime lob from the edge of the area. The move begins with Delph lofting a ball over the top of the Stoke defence that bounces in the no man’s land between centre-back and goalkeeper. Aguero nips in and delicately flicks the ball over the stranded Butland, who had committed to the futile task of collecting the ball.

Stoke are able to create a number of chances of their own over the course of the match. Bojan and Arnautovic force Joe Hart into making a pair of fine saves and Phillipp Wollscheid cracks the ball against the bar with a near-post header from a corner.

In fact, City’s centre-back pairing continue to struggle without the presence of Kompany and it’s mainly due to some good work from the full-backs and the defensive midfielders that City are able to keep a clean sheet. Kolarov does a superb job of containing the threat of Xherdan Shaqiri, making six successful tackles on the winger over the ninety minutes. Fernando and Fernandinho, the centrepieces of Pellegrini’s tactical switch, both perform superbly with a combined eight interceptions in the City half and an average pass completion rate of sixty-nine percent. It’s this extra defensive security combined with the accuracy of Delph’s passing that allows City’s potent attacking trio to push forward and, ultimately, win the match.

Football Manager uses a vast database - compiled by approximately 1,300 researchers across the world (including real-life scouts) - to blend reality and fiction. So impressive is the information that it has become a tool used by real life managers. The painstakingly detailing simulation of club management, which allows players to control every aspect of a manager's role, from scouting new player to tactics and training, has sold millions of copies worldwide.