Stoke City's dismal form from last season shows no sign of abating as Nathan Jones' side remains winless from their first four Championship games.

Not only that, but the Potters have been outclassed on occasion and have only taken the lead once - against Derby, which lasted just 15 minutes.

This, despite a big change in personnel, with six first-team players leaving and 10 new additions over the summer, but Jones is yet to find his best starting XI or his best system - and individual mistakes are costing the side considerably.

One player whose individual errors have been costly and arguably unforgivable this season is Jack Butland, and what makes things worse for him is that his mistakes lead to goals - and lead to Stoke dropping points.

The England international has wanted to leave the club for some time now and likely viewed the summer transfer window as an ideal opportunity to do so, and with the transfer market still open for European clubs it is possible that he is still vying for a move away - and that could be affecting his performances on the pitch.

Stoke have conceded an alarming 10 goals in four games and although his defence has let him down on occasion, he has been directly at fault for four goals conceded - including two against Preston on Tuesday which proved the difference between a draw and defeat.

He has been unusually poor, with many of his errors coming in an inability to save shots directed straight at him, and the result of poor positioning or failing to get his body behind the ball.

The opening day fixture against QPR also saw a rush of blood to the head where he came out in an attempt to clear the ball, only to get nowhere near it, which resulted in Jordan Hugill tapping into an empty net.

Stoke's decision to keep the player at the club when he wanted to leave now seems to be a poor choice, and it will not be a surprise if Jones drops Butland for one of Stoke's other very capable keepers - it is perhaps not surprising that Stoke's only win and clean sheet came when Adam Federici played in the Carabao Cup clash against Wigan.

The Potters boss therefore has a big decision on his hands, as he cannot afford to risk playing a player who has cost his team so many points already this season.

As a result, he could also opt for Adam Davies, who signed for Stoke from Barnsley after keeping 19 clean sheets for The Tykes last year, and conceded just 36 goals in 42 League One games.

However, he could show faith in Butland.

He clearly has great quality and his lack of form is likely a result of his mindset, which Jones could look to rectify in order to rediscover the top Premier League goalkeeper that he is.

Until he manages that, though, Butland is a gamble, and if he doesn't improve soon the decision to keep him could continue to cost Stoke points.