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Manchester City returned to the winning ways in the Premier League with a resounding 4-0 victory at home against Stoke City, keeping the Citizens alive in the top-three race and take great momentum into Tuesday's Champions League semifinal. Here's a few takeaways from what we saw on Saturday.
1. Kelechi Iheanacho is the future
He is just so good. So good. Soooooo goooooooood. The young man is amazing, and his awareness and positioning stand out for a player of his age. His first goal was a tap-in, sure, but he showed how smart he is to free himself up and be open to score an easy goal.
Then he was plain fantastic. Speed, skill, finishing, all coming together into an amazing goal to finish off City's blowout and separate himself from Wilfried Bony as the clear choice for Sergio Agüero's immediate replacement. Kelechi's potential is gigantic, and by the time Kun is ready to move away from the Etihad, the striker position is just fine.
2. Depth is good
After a season filled with injuries, it was great to see a game with a rotated squad able to feature a very strong lineup. Kevin De Bruyne and Vincent Kompany didn't play at all, David Silva and Agüero were substituted early, and all reserves who came in did a very good job to maintain and increase the lead without the stars.
Now, we can expect a fully fit team with the best eleven players ready to play the most important match in Man City history. Yeah, squad depth is not bad.
3. City needs a better defense against Real Madrid
The four goals and the overall offensive output with a good number of chances created were certainly pleasing to see, but the defense raised a few eyebrows, especially with one of the best offenses on the planet ready to create hell in just two days. Stoke had too many spaces to attack on the counter, had good chances in set pieces and should have had a least one goal if it wasn't for poor finishing from the Potters.
We don't know if Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema will be 100% to face the Sky Blues, but no matter how healthy they are, they are dangerous. And City's defense needs to improve.