Those of you who have been following my blog (and I thank you for it - I know it's been irregular), will possibly recall some posts I did about nine months ago about the newly announced fixtures for the 2013/2014 Premier League season, and how they may affect the three main races: the title, 4th place and relegation. I did a post on each, and I will now review this as the season draws to a close, and give an indication of who is now the favourite based on the final four fixtures.
This third and final post in the series focuses on the battle to avoid the dreaded drop to the Championship. As I am looking at 7 different teams, this post will be a little less in depth than the other two, but hopefully just as informative and interesting. To find the other posts, click on the links below:
Title race
Champions League battle
First 5:
In my post nine months ago, I said that the relegation battle will involve the most teams, with a range of 7 potentially involved. Having looked at the opening fixtures of the teams involved, I picked my bottom part of the table to be: Newcastle, Sunderland, Hull, Stoke, Crystal Palace, Cardiff and Aston Villa. After surprise results like Aston Villa's victory over Arsenal and Cardiff's win at home to Manchester City, this is how the bottom of the table lined up after five fixtures:
West Brom - 5pts (14th), West Ham - 5pts (15th), Cardiff - 5pts (16th), Norwich - 4pts (17th), Fulham - 4pts (18th), Crystal Palace - 3pts (19th) and Sunderland - 1pt (20th)
So basically, I was way off. I didn't even factor in West Brom, West Ham, Norwich or Fulham on the fixtures, meaning that Stoke (10th), Hull (11th) Newcastle (12th) and most surprisingly Aston Villa (13th) were not even in the list. Despite this, five games can help someone's season, but it cannot decide whether they stay up and go down (until you get to the final five of course!). As a result, I was not too concerned with my lack of accuracy, but the second check would perhaps give us a better indication of how wrong I was!
Middle 5:
The middle 5 (taken between the dates of 14th December and 1st January - the most congested period of the season) would hopefully provide me with an opportunity to reclaim some lost pride. Taken purely on these 5 fixtures, I came up with a mini table to show which teams will take the most points from this period. This would contribute to the table, but would not necessarily indicate who is destined for the drop. Based on the fixtures, I predicted that the mini table of 7 would look like this: Sunderland, Stoke, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Cardiff, Hull and Crystal Palace. In reality, it looked like this:
Newcastle (7pts), Sunderland (6pts), Hull (5pts), Stoke (5pts), Aston Villa (4pts), Cardiff (4pts), Crystal Palace (4pts)
Again, I was wrong. Though in my defence, not quite as badly wrong as I had initially been. Of the bottom three, I accurately predicted two, and managed to suggest that the two North East clubs would be well away from danger when the time came. Nevertheless, if we look at the table as a whole by the time we get to New Year's Day, we see a wholly different complexion: West Brom - 21pts (14th), Norwich - 20pts (15th), Fulham - 19pts (16th), Cardiff - 18pts (17th), Crystal Palace - 17pts (18th), West Ham - 15pts (19th), Sunderland - 14pts (20th). Whether this means my test is not as accurate as those for the Champions League or the title race (although read those to see the issues I have had!), I am not sure, but certainly it is some way from my initial expectations at the beginning of the season.
So what happened since?
Well, a lot. Two of the bottom three at that time ended completely safe and free of danger, with Crystal Palace pulling off a master stroke in hiring Tony Pulis (whose appointment I actually disagreed with at the time but shhhhh!) and West Ham relying on Big Sam Allardyce to get them out of it, which he duly did. Sunderland pulled off the greatest of great escapes, with the 2-2 draw at the Etihad, sparking the most incredible of results. Away wins at Chelsea and Manchester United, along with a home success against West Brom ensured that the Black Cats steered themselves out of what seemed an impossible situation with one match to spare. With Fulham and Cardiff unable to drag themselves from their hole (meaning that Felix Magath suffered his first relegation as a manager), it was Norwich that bore the brunt of the Sunderland escape. Their incredibly tough end to the season ultimately condemned them to the Championship, but it was the lack of fight in games involving sides around them that cost the Canaries their place in the top tier.
In the final five fixtures, I expected this to be the mini league table: Stoke, Aston Villa, Cardiff, Crystal Palace, Hull, Sunderland and Newcastle. However, incredible runs for Sunderland and Crystal Palace meant it ended like this:
Sunderland (12pts), Crystal Palace (8pts), Stoke City (7pts), Aston Villa (4pts), Cardiff (4pts), Newcastle (3pts), Hull (1pt)
And my prediction?
Overall, I predicted that all three of the promoted sides would return to the Championship based on the fixtures. However, it is almost never that this actually occurs, and this is another example. Crystal Palace's inspired managerial alteration kept them clear of danger, whilst Hull's consistency ensured that they would have a cup final day, along with a Premier League place to treasure. Other than Cardiff, I didn't even include the two sides that ended up going down, as I believed them to be relatively safe!
Final table: Newcastle - 49pts (10th), Crystal Palace - 45pts (11th), Sunderland - 38pts (14th), Aston Villa - 38pts (15th), Hull - 37pts (16th), Cardiff - 30pts (20th)
So in the end, an interesting, but inconsistent test. Fixtures are a good indicator of form, which is a good indicator of performance, but it doesn't always work out like that. With external affairs able to alter that in the flip of a switch (the ownership debacle at Leeds is the perfect example of this), there is only so much that looking at the fixtures can do. Nevertheless, it does go to show that whilst the fixture organisers attempt to be objective and unbiased, they inevitably disadvantage some teams more than others.
Analysis of sporting events, talking points and controversies.
Showing posts with label Stoke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stoke. Show all posts
Sunday, 18 May 2014
Saturday, 5 April 2014
Tactics Talk: Chelsea vs Stoke City
Lineups:
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Lampard, Matic, Willian, Salah, Schurrle, Torres
Stoke City (4-4-2): Begovic, Pieters, Shawcross, Cameron, Wilson, N'Zonzi, Palacios, Whelan, Arnautovic, Odemwingie, Crouch
After a terrible week for the Blues, which saw them first shocked by Crystal Palace in the Premier League, before being emphatically beaten by Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League first leg. For my Tactics Talk on that game, click here. With Jose Mourinho having suggested that his side's chances of reclaiming the Premier League title is now over, the game against Stoke was the perfect opportunity for his side to reassert themselves. With Chelsea making four changes from the mid-week, players like Matic, Salah and Torres all had the chance to make their mark and earn a place in the side that needs to turn around the 3-1 deficit to PSG. However, with Mourinho leaving Hazard and Oscar on the bench, this represented a huge opportunity to upset Chelsea again.
The context is also important. There was an additional pressure on Chelsea from the fact that a few hours earlier, Manchester City had laid down the gauntlet to their title rivals, defeating Southampton 4-1. This added an extra layer to an already overloaded Chelsea, a pressure that many sides would fold under.
From the start, Chelsea were quick out of the blocks, using the pace of Andre Schurrle and Willian out wide to penetrate Stoke's defence. As expected, the Potters were playing deep and looking for opportunities to play on the counter. However, unlike the usual Stoke days, where long balls would just be lumped out of defence up to Peter Crouch, Mark Hughes's Stoke looked to play the ball out on the deck, with Marco Arnautovic the key component. But this just played into the hands of Chelsea, who were more skilled at knocking the ball around and could win it back far more easily. As such, this meant that they gained momentum, with quick passing opening opportunities for Torres and Salah. With neither of them taking their chances, Mourinho switched to using triangles in the middle to cut open the Stoke back line, with Lampard, Torres and Matic instrumental in carving out chances for Ivanovic and Willian. Put despite these chances, Chelsea still could not shift the Stoke bus firmly parked at the far side of the ground.
First half hour: Chelsea dominant, but they just couldn't find a way through.
However, that bus was moved almost immediately after. Poor tracking by Peter Odemwingie allowed Matic to get in behind the defence and cut a ball back. More bad marking allowed Mohamed Salah to ghost in at the back post to smash a first time shot past Asmir Begovic. With wave after wave of Blue attack headed toward the Stoke goal, the visitors needed to be careful not to capitulate. The individual errors from the Stoke players kept putting them under pressure but, with a bit of luck, they refused to crack. Only a brilliant bit of assistant refereeing meant that Stoke went into the break just one down, disallowing Branislav Ivanovic's goal for the slightest of offsides. Nevertheless, the game was still being played on the edge of Stoke's area, and they would need to rectify this if they were to get anything out of it.
Mark Hughes made two changes at half time to attempt to reinforce their defence, with Andy Wilkinson and Charlie Adam replacing Geoff Cameron and Wilson Palacios. The second half started largely where the first left off, with more relentless Chelsea pressure. But once again there was no immediate reward. Mourinho then rang the changes, replacing the hardworking but ultimately ineffective Schurrle with Eden Hazard - it certainly didn't get any easier for Stoke! The impact was almost instantaneous. With Hazard at full flow, a rash challenge from Wilkinson handed Lampard the chance to extend Chelsea's lead, perhaps guaranteeing the three points. Though the initial kick was well saved by Begovic, the Chelsea man got the benefit of a kind bounce, easily turning home the rebound. With no obvious sign of a Stoke reposte, it seemed only a matter of how many before the final whistle went.
Second half hour: With Stoke offering little in attack and camped on the edge of their own area, there can be no doubt that this period belonged to Chelsea.
With the attempts standing at 16-1 in Chelsea's favour, Stoke finally looked at applying a bit of pressure, building up a couple of corners in quick succession. But this came far too late for Stoke, as by now the game was long since lost. This was proven just a couple of minutes later, when Willian cut inside after a slick Chelsea move to curl a delightful shot into the top corner. This rounded off an excellent and morale-boosting victory, setting them up nicely for a huge tie in mid-week against the Parisians. All that was left to do was rest Lampard and Willian in preparation, bringing on David Luiz and Ashley Cole in their place. For Stoke, Jon Walters replaced the anonymous Peter Crouch, who up until that point had probably had about 10 touches of the ball, with the majority of them coming in his own half! With Neil Swarbrick putting the whistle to his lips to end the game, Chelsea's miserable week came to a promising end.
Final half hour: Chelsea were totally in control from first whistle to last, giving themselves some much needed relief after a tough couple of weeks in all competitions. Next up, the return leg against PSG that may just rebuild or break their season...
After a terrible week for the Blues, which saw them first shocked by Crystal Palace in the Premier League, before being emphatically beaten by Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League first leg. For my Tactics Talk on that game, click here. With Jose Mourinho having suggested that his side's chances of reclaiming the Premier League title is now over, the game against Stoke was the perfect opportunity for his side to reassert themselves. With Chelsea making four changes from the mid-week, players like Matic, Salah and Torres all had the chance to make their mark and earn a place in the side that needs to turn around the 3-1 deficit to PSG. However, with Mourinho leaving Hazard and Oscar on the bench, this represented a huge opportunity to upset Chelsea again.
The context is also important. There was an additional pressure on Chelsea from the fact that a few hours earlier, Manchester City had laid down the gauntlet to their title rivals, defeating Southampton 4-1. This added an extra layer to an already overloaded Chelsea, a pressure that many sides would fold under.
From the start, Chelsea were quick out of the blocks, using the pace of Andre Schurrle and Willian out wide to penetrate Stoke's defence. As expected, the Potters were playing deep and looking for opportunities to play on the counter. However, unlike the usual Stoke days, where long balls would just be lumped out of defence up to Peter Crouch, Mark Hughes's Stoke looked to play the ball out on the deck, with Marco Arnautovic the key component. But this just played into the hands of Chelsea, who were more skilled at knocking the ball around and could win it back far more easily. As such, this meant that they gained momentum, with quick passing opening opportunities for Torres and Salah. With neither of them taking their chances, Mourinho switched to using triangles in the middle to cut open the Stoke back line, with Lampard, Torres and Matic instrumental in carving out chances for Ivanovic and Willian. Put despite these chances, Chelsea still could not shift the Stoke bus firmly parked at the far side of the ground.
First half hour: Chelsea dominant, but they just couldn't find a way through.
However, that bus was moved almost immediately after. Poor tracking by Peter Odemwingie allowed Matic to get in behind the defence and cut a ball back. More bad marking allowed Mohamed Salah to ghost in at the back post to smash a first time shot past Asmir Begovic. With wave after wave of Blue attack headed toward the Stoke goal, the visitors needed to be careful not to capitulate. The individual errors from the Stoke players kept putting them under pressure but, with a bit of luck, they refused to crack. Only a brilliant bit of assistant refereeing meant that Stoke went into the break just one down, disallowing Branislav Ivanovic's goal for the slightest of offsides. Nevertheless, the game was still being played on the edge of Stoke's area, and they would need to rectify this if they were to get anything out of it.
Mark Hughes made two changes at half time to attempt to reinforce their defence, with Andy Wilkinson and Charlie Adam replacing Geoff Cameron and Wilson Palacios. The second half started largely where the first left off, with more relentless Chelsea pressure. But once again there was no immediate reward. Mourinho then rang the changes, replacing the hardworking but ultimately ineffective Schurrle with Eden Hazard - it certainly didn't get any easier for Stoke! The impact was almost instantaneous. With Hazard at full flow, a rash challenge from Wilkinson handed Lampard the chance to extend Chelsea's lead, perhaps guaranteeing the three points. Though the initial kick was well saved by Begovic, the Chelsea man got the benefit of a kind bounce, easily turning home the rebound. With no obvious sign of a Stoke reposte, it seemed only a matter of how many before the final whistle went.
Second half hour: With Stoke offering little in attack and camped on the edge of their own area, there can be no doubt that this period belonged to Chelsea.
With the attempts standing at 16-1 in Chelsea's favour, Stoke finally looked at applying a bit of pressure, building up a couple of corners in quick succession. But this came far too late for Stoke, as by now the game was long since lost. This was proven just a couple of minutes later, when Willian cut inside after a slick Chelsea move to curl a delightful shot into the top corner. This rounded off an excellent and morale-boosting victory, setting them up nicely for a huge tie in mid-week against the Parisians. All that was left to do was rest Lampard and Willian in preparation, bringing on David Luiz and Ashley Cole in their place. For Stoke, Jon Walters replaced the anonymous Peter Crouch, who up until that point had probably had about 10 touches of the ball, with the majority of them coming in his own half! With Neil Swarbrick putting the whistle to his lips to end the game, Chelsea's miserable week came to a promising end.
Final half hour: Chelsea were totally in control from first whistle to last, giving themselves some much needed relief after a tough couple of weeks in all competitions. Next up, the return leg against PSG that may just rebuild or break their season...
Thursday, 15 August 2013
Stoke City: Are They At The End Of The Line?
2013/2014: 13th
Transfer(s) In: Marc Muniesa (Athletic Bilbao, Free), Erik Pieters (PSV Eindhoven, £3 Million), Mark Hughes (Free Agent), Oussama Assaidi (Liverpool, Loan), Steven Ireland (Aston Villa, Loan), Marco Arnautovic (Werder Bremen, £2.5 Million)
Transfer(s) Out: Michael Owen (Retired), Rory Delap, Carlo Nash, Mamady Sidebe, Dean Whitehead, Matthew Upson (Released), Tony Pulis (Sacked)
Transfers Review:
The most important transfers that have been made at the Britannia this season have been made in the dugout rather than on the pitch. After his second spell of over half a decade in the Potteries, Tony Pulis was sacked after a poor season last time around. His replacement was, to the despair of many Stoke fans, former Blackburn, Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers boss Mark Hughes. Whilst many were disappointed with his appointment, I actually do not see him as too bad a choice. His high profile failures with both Manchester City and QPR were at clubs with a considerable amount of money, a feature some managers find it difficult to handle. At Blackburn, where the kitty was considerably lower, he was hailed as a bargain-hunter, with the likes of Roque Santa Cruz one of his greatest buys. Stoke appear to fit more into the second category, and I actually believe that Hughes is a reasonable choice.
His ability to make shrewd aquisitions has been illustrated by his five signings this summer. Marc Muniesa, a large part of Athletic Bilbao's run to the final of the Europa league a couple of seasons ago, was signed on a free transfer, and Erik Pieters, a Dutch central midfielder with good potential, was signed for a miserly sum (in footballing terms at least!) of £3 Million. Later on, two loan deals for Oussama Assaidi and Steven Ireland from Liverpool and Aston Villa, before a final deal for Werder Bremen's enigmatic Marko Arnautovic for a reported £2.5 Million. However, all of these players hardly fit the 'Stoke mould' under the stewardship of Tony Pulis. This implies that Hughes is attempting to stamp his authority on this Stoke team by altering their playing style from the long ball game we have all become so accustomed to.
There has also been a fair clearout of the more experienced players in the Stoke squad, with the majority of them being part of the side that took the Potters to the Premier League. Names like Upson, Whitehead, and even club legend Rory Delap, will not be on show at the Britannia next season, after all were released at the end of last campaign. This once again indicates a significant shift in regime, as Hughes wants rid of all of those considered to be surplus to requirements, and those more experienced players that were the core of the long ball game.
Pre-Season:
The Potters' pre-season has been indicative of a side that is going through a significant transitionary period, with performances perhaps not at the level that would otherwise have been expected. After a brief tour of America, during which they played teams like MLS side Philadelphia Union, they returned to the UK to face a couple of sides from the lower divisions as we moved into August. They opted to take part in friendlies against Blue Square Premier sides Macclesfield and Wrexham, and though they won the pair, they only managed to beat each side by the odd goal, which for a club four divisions above is simply unacceptable.
Their final pre-season match came against the Serie A side Genoa. Despite producing a much improved performance than those that preceeded it, Stoke were unable to find that goalscoring touch, a feature of their game that Hughes will be keen to eradicate. Last season, they were far too guilty of not scoring enough goals, and as a result drew too many games, putting them in danger of relegation.
Key Players:
If Stoke are to stave off relegation again this season, they will need their player of the season last year to be on top form once again. After much speculation, they will be glad to have retained the services of Asmir Begovic. The Bosnian, who has proven himself to be amongst the top 5 goalkeepers in the Premier League, is a good reason for so many of the clean sheets that the Potters have kept over the last few years. His reflexes and command of his area are superb, and it is little wonder that top 4 teams, such as Arsenal, have been reported to be watching him with interest.
In order to score more goals this campaign, the pace, skill and delivery of Jermaine Pennant will be vital. His quiet season last year meant that it was hardly a coincidence that the Potters found themselves in trouble come April. If the Englishman should stay fit and in form, Stoke will fancy themselves to stay away from trouble this time around.
Key Fixture Dates:
24/08/2013: Stoke vs Crystal Palace
29/09/2013: Stoke vs Norwich
04/12/2013: Stoke vs Cardiff
14/12/2013: Hull vs Stoke
18/01/2014: Crystal Palace vs Stoke
08/03/2014: Norwich vs Stoke
29/03/2014: Stoke vs Hull
19/04/2014: Cardiff vs Stoke
Top Goalscorer:
The change of tactics under Mark Hughes seemingly signals the end to the long ball/long throw game made famous under Pulis. This will have consequences for the goal tally of Peter Crouch. The lanky Englishman has always been superb in the air, but his touch has at times been suspect. This is why I will go for Jonathan Walters to cement the title he won last season. Although his tally was low (11), he was the main threat up front for the Potters, and I expect that to continue again this campaign.
Prediction:
As I said earlier, the appointment of Mark Hughes is, in my opinion, not a bad one for a club with the spending power of Stoke. However, with the Welshman attempting to change the style of the Stoke City team's play, I think that the job is a bit of poisoned chalice. The old way had seemingly stopped working by the end of last season, and with an overhaul so difficult to complete quickly, I fear for the survival of the Potters. I have a feeling that, after a good 6 years in the top flight, this season could see the end of Stoke's Premier League status.
Stoke City 2013/2014: 18th
Transfer(s) In: Marc Muniesa (Athletic Bilbao, Free), Erik Pieters (PSV Eindhoven, £3 Million), Mark Hughes (Free Agent), Oussama Assaidi (Liverpool, Loan), Steven Ireland (Aston Villa, Loan), Marco Arnautovic (Werder Bremen, £2.5 Million)
Transfer(s) Out: Michael Owen (Retired), Rory Delap, Carlo Nash, Mamady Sidebe, Dean Whitehead, Matthew Upson (Released), Tony Pulis (Sacked)
Transfers Review:
The most important transfers that have been made at the Britannia this season have been made in the dugout rather than on the pitch. After his second spell of over half a decade in the Potteries, Tony Pulis was sacked after a poor season last time around. His replacement was, to the despair of many Stoke fans, former Blackburn, Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers boss Mark Hughes. Whilst many were disappointed with his appointment, I actually do not see him as too bad a choice. His high profile failures with both Manchester City and QPR were at clubs with a considerable amount of money, a feature some managers find it difficult to handle. At Blackburn, where the kitty was considerably lower, he was hailed as a bargain-hunter, with the likes of Roque Santa Cruz one of his greatest buys. Stoke appear to fit more into the second category, and I actually believe that Hughes is a reasonable choice.
His ability to make shrewd aquisitions has been illustrated by his five signings this summer. Marc Muniesa, a large part of Athletic Bilbao's run to the final of the Europa league a couple of seasons ago, was signed on a free transfer, and Erik Pieters, a Dutch central midfielder with good potential, was signed for a miserly sum (in footballing terms at least!) of £3 Million. Later on, two loan deals for Oussama Assaidi and Steven Ireland from Liverpool and Aston Villa, before a final deal for Werder Bremen's enigmatic Marko Arnautovic for a reported £2.5 Million. However, all of these players hardly fit the 'Stoke mould' under the stewardship of Tony Pulis. This implies that Hughes is attempting to stamp his authority on this Stoke team by altering their playing style from the long ball game we have all become so accustomed to.
There has also been a fair clearout of the more experienced players in the Stoke squad, with the majority of them being part of the side that took the Potters to the Premier League. Names like Upson, Whitehead, and even club legend Rory Delap, will not be on show at the Britannia next season, after all were released at the end of last campaign. This once again indicates a significant shift in regime, as Hughes wants rid of all of those considered to be surplus to requirements, and those more experienced players that were the core of the long ball game.
Pre-Season:
The Potters' pre-season has been indicative of a side that is going through a significant transitionary period, with performances perhaps not at the level that would otherwise have been expected. After a brief tour of America, during which they played teams like MLS side Philadelphia Union, they returned to the UK to face a couple of sides from the lower divisions as we moved into August. They opted to take part in friendlies against Blue Square Premier sides Macclesfield and Wrexham, and though they won the pair, they only managed to beat each side by the odd goal, which for a club four divisions above is simply unacceptable.
Their final pre-season match came against the Serie A side Genoa. Despite producing a much improved performance than those that preceeded it, Stoke were unable to find that goalscoring touch, a feature of their game that Hughes will be keen to eradicate. Last season, they were far too guilty of not scoring enough goals, and as a result drew too many games, putting them in danger of relegation.
Key Players:
If Stoke are to stave off relegation again this season, they will need their player of the season last year to be on top form once again. After much speculation, they will be glad to have retained the services of Asmir Begovic. The Bosnian, who has proven himself to be amongst the top 5 goalkeepers in the Premier League, is a good reason for so many of the clean sheets that the Potters have kept over the last few years. His reflexes and command of his area are superb, and it is little wonder that top 4 teams, such as Arsenal, have been reported to be watching him with interest.
In order to score more goals this campaign, the pace, skill and delivery of Jermaine Pennant will be vital. His quiet season last year meant that it was hardly a coincidence that the Potters found themselves in trouble come April. If the Englishman should stay fit and in form, Stoke will fancy themselves to stay away from trouble this time around.
Key Fixture Dates:
24/08/2013: Stoke vs Crystal Palace
29/09/2013: Stoke vs Norwich
04/12/2013: Stoke vs Cardiff
14/12/2013: Hull vs Stoke
18/01/2014: Crystal Palace vs Stoke
08/03/2014: Norwich vs Stoke
29/03/2014: Stoke vs Hull
19/04/2014: Cardiff vs Stoke
Top Goalscorer:
The change of tactics under Mark Hughes seemingly signals the end to the long ball/long throw game made famous under Pulis. This will have consequences for the goal tally of Peter Crouch. The lanky Englishman has always been superb in the air, but his touch has at times been suspect. This is why I will go for Jonathan Walters to cement the title he won last season. Although his tally was low (11), he was the main threat up front for the Potters, and I expect that to continue again this campaign.
Prediction:
As I said earlier, the appointment of Mark Hughes is, in my opinion, not a bad one for a club with the spending power of Stoke. However, with the Welshman attempting to change the style of the Stoke City team's play, I think that the job is a bit of poisoned chalice. The old way had seemingly stopped working by the end of last season, and with an overhaul so difficult to complete quickly, I fear for the survival of the Potters. I have a feeling that, after a good 6 years in the top flight, this season could see the end of Stoke's Premier League status.
Stoke City 2013/2014: 18th
Thursday, 23 May 2013
Stoke City: The End to the Long Ball Game?
2012/2013 Season
Review:
Stoke
had a relatively calm summer as far as transfers are concerned, with Charlie
Adam being the only high profile incoming. This had the additional benefit of
leaving Stoke’s squad practically untouched, giving them the stability so
obviously lacking from rival squads. A traditional strong home form, brought
about in part by their raucous home support, and partially via their unique
long ball game, normally aids Stoke’s push towards the top 10. This season,
however, this was not to be.
An four
game unbeaten start to the season gave Stoke a promising start, including home
draws against Arsenal and Manchester City. Whilst a disappointing exit by
Swindon of the Capital One Cup punctured this good early season form, only two league
defeats by the end of October gave Potters fans further reason for optimism.
However, it is worth noting that games that they would ordinarily have won the
previous years at home, they drew this campaign, a factor that certainly
contributed to their late season perils.
November
was more typical in terms of the traditional Stoke results, namely good at home
but appalling away from the Britannia. Home wins against QPR, Newcastle and
Fulham were interspersed by poor away performances against Norwich and West Ham,
a run that ended at the beginning of December with a 1-0 win away at West Brom.
December in general was a highly successful month for the Potters, remaining
unbeaten throughout the whole of the busiest month of the season. Taking simply
this month into consideration, it seems ridiculous that Stoke would find
themselves in a relegation battle come the end of the season. January saw an
emphatic end to the good form, with three heavy defeats against Manchester
City, Chelsea and Swansea, before exiting the FA Cup at home to Man City.
Further
polarisation in terms of home vs away form continued, with Stoke picking up no
away points for the whole of the first three months of 2013, a run that put
even more importance on the games at the Britannia. Unfortunately, ordinarily
winnable games began to be drawn, or even lost, at home, pushing Stoke slowly
down the table. Home draws against Wigan and West Brom were followed in April
by defeats against Manchester United and, more critically, Aston Villa, in what
had been described pre-match as a relegation ‘six-pointer’. These results were
indicative of relegation form, and Stoke badly needed to snap out of this run
in order to extend their 5 year stay in the top flight. Their traditionally
infallible long ball game, relying heavily on set pieces, was failing to create
the chances the Potters fans were so used to, and soon their was considerable
discontent in the stands. Pundits best summed up the situation by stating that no-one
cares if you are playing unattractive football and winning, but it becomes a
big problem when the results stop coming.
Fearful
of alienating their usual vociferous support, Stoke’s form took a timely peak.
Successive wins away at QPR and at home to Norwich gave the Potters a little
more breathing space away from the dreaded bottom three, but they remained
within touching distance. This ensured that the side needed to remain at the
top of their game for the remainder of the season. Two points from their last
three games, coupled with their rivals inability to capitalise on their
slip-ups, allowed Stoke to limp over the line, amassing 42 points and finishing
in 13th place.
Overall,
Stoke fans and management will consider this season a disappointment, after 5
years of comfortable mid-table success. The board’s disappointment with this
year’s results was clearly illustrated with the sacking of manager Tony Pulis
at the end of the season. However, I genuinely fear for their survival next
year, as Pulis instilled a unique philosophy upon his players, and one that
very few coaches appear to be implementing. Having seen how long it often takes
to ‘re-train’ the players in a new style of football, the next manager at the
Britannia will have a tough job, and I fear may be leading the Potters down
next year.
Player of the Season:
Asmir Begovic – Another consistent season from the Bosnian keeper, without
whom Stoke would have been on the receiving end of many more hammerings. He has
been a valuable asset to the Potters, and with Tony Pulis having left and the
club being in a state of instability, I fear that Stoke may struggle to
maintain his services for the coming season.
Game of the Season: Stoke
3-3 Southampton – A rollercoaster game at the Britannia, where a stunning last
minute equaliser by Cameron Jerome rescued a point for 10 man Stoke. A poor
first half performance from the Potters saw them slip 3-1 behind, before
staging a rousing comeback in the second half. Despite Steven N’Zonzi being
dismissed for a full-blooded lunge, Stoke managed to claw their way back into
the game, with goals from Matthew Upson and Jerome’s speculative 30 yard effort
saving Stoke’s home record.
Summer Transfer
Targets (What I Think They Need): Having dispensed of Tony Pulis, Stoke’s
summer transfer dealings very much depend on the type of manager that comes in.
If they manage to find a similarly oriented manager in terms of tactics, a new
striker is a must, with Jonathan Walters being the club’s top goalscorer on 11
goals. However, if the style of play changes, any transfer targets could be
vastly different.
Transfer Gossip
Links:
In:
Anthony Pilkington (Norwich City, CM), Luis Pedro Cavanda
(Lazio, RB), Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace, CM), Yannick Bolasie (Crystal
Palace, LW), George Waring (Free Agent, CB), Guilherme Siquera (Granada, LB)
Out:
Kenwyne Jones (Cardiff City, ST), Peter Crouch
(West Ham United), Thomas Sorensen (???, GK), Tony Pulis (Sacked, Manager)
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