Stoke City 1 Manchester City 1:MANCHESTER City seem to have been a work in progress longer than the M6, and can be just as frustrating for travellers anxious to get from A to B without undue delay, reports Joe Lovejoy at Britannia Stadium
They have had five managers since their return to the Premier League in 2002-’03 and all have urged patience, stressing that it takes time to get where they want to go. Had they picked the right manager and stuck with him, they might well be in the Champions League now instead of the poor man’s version that is the Europa, where they play C-list Salzburg on Wednesday. It takes years to break into the top four? Nobody told Harry Redknapp, who took Spurs from bottom of the table to a fourth-place finish in little more than 18 months.
Under Roberto Mancini, City are flattering but to deceive. They looked the part in winning 4-1 at Fulham a week ago, but looked more like spare parts in scraping a draw at Stoke on Saturday, and 10 points from a possible 21 is hardly “Look out, we’re coming” stuff.
A tad more honesty from the manager wouldn’t go amiss. Mancini praised his team for playing “fantastic football” at the Britannia, but the only fantasy was his. City clearly didn’t fancy either the chilly conditions or the legitimate physicality of the opposition and were a poor second-best for most of the match, with most of them looking as if they would rather be anywhere else.
Mancini complained about Stoke’s long-ball tactics, but that familiar accusation is overdone these days. Tony Pulis is employing two good wingers, Jermaine Pennant and Matthew Etherington, and the ball goes wide as often as it is sent route one.
The City manager would be better employed addressing his own team’s shortcomings. It was the 52nd minute before they managed a worthwhile goal attempt and that was wide.
They improved in the second half and thought they had won when Micah Richards scored a late goal, but Stoke’s irrepressible spirit brought them the point they deserved in added time, when a back heel from Tuncay Sanli created the opening for Etherington to drive home a classy equaliser.
Guardian Service
