Michael Regan/Getty ImagesThe tweaks made by Tony Pulis did little to prevent Manchester City from running all over Stoke.

Stoke's unbeaten run came to an abrupt end at the home of the Champions amid a number of changes to a side that weren't necessarily required.

- Manchester City 3-0 Stoke

I understood what Tony Pulis wanted to do and was happy to see Kenwyne Jones retained up front which was important given how pinned back Stoke would be, and indeed were. Charlie Adam also came back in and on paper he would hopefully sit deep and control the play in a five man midfield. To reward his recent form, Cameron Jerome came in for Matthew Etherington with the idea of joining up with the attack. None of this really worked, and the side that looked so happy with the return of a Jones/Jonathan Walters partnership in the last couple of games, was thrown into disarray and struggled from the outset.

In the opening exchanges, it was clear that Adam was once again completely ineffective behind a front man and more worryingly, Jerome was struggling with the defensive responsibilities that being a winger in a Pulis side entails. The manager rightly switched the pacey striker over to the left as Manchester City were getting far too much joy down his side since he was doing little to help out his fullback. Sadly, the same happened down the left side and it was Jerome's lack of cover that meant the opposition had a free run into the area to score the opener. Jerome is a striker, there is no two ways about it, much like Adam is a midfielder. That both were playing out of position to the detriment of the side was frustrating, especially when there was no need to do so.

What worries me is that there really doesn't seem to be a place for Adam at the club, and like Peter Crouch, he was signed with little to no thought as to how he would be utilised. What we have seen the last couple of games with the reintroduction of two wingers and the Jones/Walters partnership harkens back to the Cup run side, but with the added composure of Steven N'Zonzi in the middle. The fact that Crouch and Adam had to be removed from the side in order to get back to basics and goals (three in each of the last two games), only serves to illustrate just how pointless those signings were.

Don't get me wrong, Stoke's loss today was due to the class of the opposition, and despite having a decent penalty shout and a non-penalty given against Stoke, there only looked to be one winner and I'm not sure a different side would have changed that. There are, however, some fundamental questions that need asking and answering around Crouch and Adam for the remainder of the season, as anything less than keeping the Jones/Walters partnership would be irresponsible of Pulis.

Pulis is very close to having an excellent side and in an ideal world, this window he would sell Crouch and Adam, bring in a fullback or two, a new winger and continue to play two of the latter each week to give Stoke the best chance possible of cementing that top ten finish.

The side now have a bit of a rest until the cup game against Crystal Palace. What I would like to see in that game is Jerome and Walters up top so Jones gets a breather, and Adam in the middle as part of a two, just to see if it is the write-off everyone assumes, or whether he shows any promise there to compete with Glenn Whelan. I can't overstate just how important the next month is; the decisions of who to bring in, and more importantly, who to leave out or sell will dictate exactly how the remainder of the campaign will pan out.

This Stoke fan will be crossing his fingers in the hope of common sense prevailing.

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