Starve the Scousers

Crouch started the festive period off well with a winner
against Aston Villa

Although it seems like little to no time has passed since the last match report, Stoke City have endured a mixed bag of results during the five matches across the festive period. Despite victories against Aston Villa and Leicester (in the FA Cup) being encouraging, losses to Newcastle and Tottenham, coupled by a harsh draw with Everton has left Potters fans puzzled as usual as to where they will stand come the end of the season. Some feel that the squad will not survive relegation if they do not strengthen; some feel that the squad is strong as it is and would survive, whilst others believe that with the right investment in January, the squad could target the top half of the table. In my recent Half Time Report, I stated that my belief is that despite results leaning towards a transitional period for the club, the players that we currently have will be capable of staving off relegation, but I also tipped the club for a top 10 finish. If it had not been for small flash-points in games: a missed penalty, a harsh red card, a strange substitution, an injury to an important player, Stoke could have been higher than they are right now. However, most clubs in the league would also believe their club could be higher in the league if they had seen a fairer share of luck.

Glenn Whelan receives a second yellow card against Newcastle
when common sense could have spared the midfielder

In the first game of the festive period against Aston Villa, Stoke were fortunate not to have had a man sent off when Marc Wilson was caught just outside the penalty area, the Irishman was fortunate at this time however. The same could not be said of Erik Pieters, my choice of new signing of the season so far, who had the misfortune of heading the ball back to Asmir Begovic, and not putting enough pace on the ball so that Libor Kozak could intervene and level the game. Come Boxing Day and more misfortune would come to the Stoke squad, before kick-off, with the news that Asmir Begovic would be unavailable for the next six weeks with a broken finger. Thomas Sorenson, whilst an able deputy and a worthy inclusion in Stoke's hall of fame, he did not instil confidence in supporters prior to kick-off. After the sendings off of Glenn Whelan and Marc Wilson, both harsh but understandable in the cold light of day, Sorenson showed his composure in saving the resulting penalty from Wilson's red, keeping up his reputation of being an excellent penalty goalkeeper. Sadly for Sorenson, instead of being awarded with a break in play when Mike Williamson should have been punished for a handball in Newcastle's half, Stoke were caught and conceded a bitter goal. What was to follow though was an onslaught, not helped by Martin Atkinson who failed to reward Stoke with any key decisions that could have stemmed the tide, the second goal for Newcastle coming from a ball into the box that should have been called out of play. Newcastle were professional in the end, but before the sending off, they were not magnificent.

Oussama Assaidi, Stoke's most consistent player over the festive period

The hang-over result at Tottenham was little surprise, yet Stoke did not help themselves in this game by conceding their third penalty in two games. With Roberto Soldado scoring to put Spurs in front, it seemed impossible for Stoke to get back into this game. As it proved to be with the main highlight of this game proving not to be the further two goals from Moussa Dembele or Aaron Lennon, but the Charlie Adam tackle on Paulinho that Tottenham described as 'hard', continuing their vendetta against Adam. It cannot be denied that Charlie Adam is not a good tackler. I have pushed for Mark Hughes to drop Adam at times this season due to this poor attribute, with his inability to tackle correctly causing troubles at key points during the season. This tackle though that Spurs have highlighted was no worse than some that Adam has committed this season, it is just the aftermath that is disappointing with Paulinho facing a spell on the sidelines. This is not a defence of Adam as a midfielder hardman, but as a person, stating that whilst he has committed poor tackles against Spurs players in the past, Adam has merely been unfortunate to have been the player to commit to these fouls against this one team. One player who has been fortunate though in recent weeks has been Oussama Assaidi who has been rewarded for his goal against Chelsea with consecutive starts against Hull City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Tottenham, Everton and Leicester. This run will come to an end with Liverpool coming to the Britannia Stadium this weekend but Assaidi should feel proud of his recent performances. Reports of moves in the summer to Lazio or Florentina seem a bit premature based on a month's good form, but for the sake of the player I hope he continues to impress until May at the very least. His goals against Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton have shown that he does not shy himself away when a tough shot is on the cards, commonly roaming at the far post in the box so that he can pick up loose crosses and try to cause trouble by cutting inside with his right foot. His pace has also given Stoke a new outlet whilst Marko Arnautovic remains out of form, offering Stoke an option that other starting players do not possess.

Marko Arnautovic, a player looking as if he is playing through injury

Arnautovic's performances of late have been unimpressive, perhaps of a player who is recovering from an injury and needs time to regain top form. Sitting on the bench will not help him in this situation so it is good for him that he started the game against Leicester in the FA Cup, ahead of hopefully ninety minutes against Liverpool at the weekend. If he performs well against Liverpool, I would hope that he could retain his place in the side, even at the expense of Jonathan Walters as he and Assaidi both offer trickery and pose more questions for defences. Whilst I am a fan of Walters, he is a blunt instrument, reliable in his defensive duties, but a battering ram in his offensive ventures. Against a very tough Crystal Palace in two weeks' time, having two adventurous forwards will hopefully have the effect of unlocking a cast-iron door rather than trying to knock it down with a wooden log.

Talking Tactics - Stoke City vs Liverpool:

I would make only a few changes for the visit of Liverpool, one enforced with the ineligibility of Oussama Assaidi. Marko Arnautovic is the natural replacement for Assaidi, with a good game due from the Austrian in the red and white stripes. Jack Butland is in the team on the basis that Thomas Sorenson remains injured for the fixture, although if he recovers in time I would expect him to return to the starting line-up despite Butland's good performances against Everton and Leicester. The only other change from the Everton game that I would like to see is Stephen Ireland coming in for Charlie Adam, who in fairness has played well in recent games, but he is always a bad challenge away from trouble. If Adam plays, I will have no concerns, until that first bad tackle, and then I suspect all Stoke supporters will be on edge. Ireland offers some security that he will put in a steady performance in all areas, even if he does not wow the paying customers. For that reason he would get in my team for this game.

Stoke's major concern should be how to defend against Liverpool, and in particular how to stop Luis Suarez. Across the Christmas period he showed that he can be stopped, with Vincent Kompany and John Terry keeping him in their pockets for the two big games Liverpool played in that period. If Ryan Shawcross still has aspirations of being an England international, he needs to put in a good performance against Suarez, keeping tight to him, but not too tight that he can make him look like a fool. The likely return of Steven Gerrard to Liverpool's starting line-up may not help the club for once, with Jordan Henderson playing well during the festive period just behind Suarez. It would also be unfair if one of Lucas or Joe Allen were to be replaced due to the return of Gerrard so the return of their captain may not necessarily be a good thing. The key thing the Stoke team will have to watch out for tactically will be the shape of Brendan Rodgers's team, with the return of Daniel Sturridge offering Liverpool the option of playing with a back four or a back three/five. I would suspect that they will start the game with a back four, hoping that Suarez alone up front will be enough to break Stoke down, but if the Potters take the lead, or Liverpool do not look like scoring early in the second half, do not be surprised to see a tactical change. Stoke historically in the Premier League do not play well against teams who play with three at the back so this is something that will need to change, hopefully by exploiting any gaps the team sees out wide to double up on Liverpool's wing-backs.

Quick Snippet - Thomas Hitzlsperger:

Thomas Hitzlsperger announced his sexuality this week after retiring
from football at the end of last season.

It was a surprise to hear about Thomas Hitzlsperger announcing his sexuality this week, but only because you wonder why it is such a hot topic in football still. Are dressing room atmospheres that toxic regarding homosexuality? Hitzlsperger in his statement mentioned that he would not join in banter if it crossed a line regarding sexuality, but the question should be asked why does it need to go that far? Football players are all human beings and that is something that can be easily forgotten with 3D models readily available on games consoles in the present day. If a player denies something that is important about himself though, it can only affect his career in the long-run. I could only imagine that it would require extra concerns over privacy, making sure that nothing gets leaked to the press regarding who he sleeps with, all to the detriment of the player's career. In the long-run, footballers should be braver and not be afraid to say who they are. The trouble is, it will take a brave person to make this first move whilst they're still playing. Because whilst Hitzlsperger is a high-profile player, he is still no out of the limelight.