Erik Pieters delighted with his improving Marko Arnautovic partnership and says Stoke are now a much more technical side

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Stoke City defender Erik Pieters has highlighted the impact of his growing understanding with Marko Arnautovic after the in-form striker bagged a brace during the impressive win over Manchester City.

The Austrian has made a habit of scoring key goals for the club, as three of his five league goals have been match winners, including a stunning strike to down champions Chelsea in November.

'I think people can see that Marko and I have started to build a solid partnership on the left-hand side,' Dutchman Pieters told the club's website.

Erik Pieters (right) has praised Marko Arnautovic and is delighted with the progress of their partnership

The Austrian scored twice as Stoke City beat Manchester City at the Britannia Stadium

The pair clash with Fabian Delph and Joe Hart after the final whistle on Saturday lunchtime 

'Everyone knows that he is a very good player and I know how to link up with him by giving him the balls and by running on the overlaps for example.

'We help each other a lot, we know when we both need support and I think we are making a very good team together.'

Pieters also said that the Potters had become a more technical side following the additions of Xherdan Shaqiri and Bojan, which has helped the team embark on a run of three wins in their last four league games.

'We are becoming a really hard team to beat. We are an attractive team with very good technical players who can work well but we know every game is different in the Premier League,' the 27-year-old said.

Pieters is delighted with the additions of Bojan and Xherdan Shaqiri, who make Stoke much more technical 

'It's important that we keep a run of consistency going. Confidence is high, we believe in what we can achieve and I really love playing at the moment,' he added.

'There are loads of games to go but if we can maintain our confidence then I think we will have yet another good season.'

Stoke, who are 11th in the table, face a tough task on Saturday, as they travel to seventh-placed West Ham.

Stoke will be looking to carry on their good form, when they take on high-flying West