Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has insisted that it is tough playing against a team set up to defend, which is what he thought Stoke City did on Saturday afternoon.

The Citizens eventually managed to win 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium, and Nasri said that manager Manuel Pellegrini's half-time team talk helped the players to keep things simple.

"It was frustrating playing against a side with 10 in defence, especially when three days before you play against Barcelona," Sky Sports News quotes him as saying. "We were not really fresh in the first half but we played better the last 10 minutes.

"At half time the manager told us to be behind the midfield and play as simply as possible to have opportunities to shoot and that's what happened. But most important was the win."

City remain third in the Premier League table.