Banish the Blues

Toure the scorer again consigning Stoke to another defeat away from home

If there is one ground I want Stoke City to win at more than any, it is the Etihad Stadium. Some may say Old Trafford, The Emirates or even Anfield, but to me Manchester City is the home of everything that is wrong about present day football: wealthy owners, extortionate transfer fees and wages, and no end in sight for a financial black hole that may one day engulf the game in this country. Financial Fair Play was meant to level the playing field, allow teams with less wealth to have a better chance against those with the mega-rich owners, but with backdoor sponsorship deals allowing owners to pump more money into their clubs, it is harder to see parity ever returning to the game. On the field, the same can be said with parity being hard to find in the decision-making of referees involved in top six games. Against Manchester United and Liverpool this season, Stoke have come off worse for decisions that a referee has failed to make correctly. This was the instance against Manchester City, who truly lived up to their tag as a 'big' team, knocking around Stoke players who are made out of tougher stuff than the ragdolls those in blue made them look like.

Vincent Kompany, one of the league's best defenders
had a poor day at the office despite the clean sheet he finished with

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany was the villain of the piece, consistently fouling Stoke players during the course of the game. After receiving an early yellow card, Kompany had the potential to have been sent off (for his second yellow) on no more than three other occasions. One particular challenge, a high boot when challenging for the ball with Crouch, would not have been unworthy of a yellow card for certain, so Stoke can feel hard done by that Manchester City's best defender remained on the pitch. They can also feel aggrieved that one of City's first choice midfielders, Fernandinho remained on the field after a vicious lunge on Peter Odemwingie, a foul that could have been a red card for violent conduct, if not for the potential of the foul preventing a goal-scoring opportunity. Against nine men, Stoke would have had a chance of taking the game to Manchester City in the second half, their showing in the first 45 minutes indicative of a team that was fully aware that they could not go all out attack at the Etihad, but would push forward when the most prudent opportunities presented themselves. Alas, these are all ifs and the result stands. Stoke needed to freshen things up in the second half and Manchester City capitalised soon after the first substitution, with Yaya Toure taking advantage of the gaps created by a shift in tactics, plus a lack of awareness from Charlie Adam to slip into the box and get a toe onto the end of Aleksandar Kolarov's cross. It is not inconceivable that if the change had been made later, or not at all, then the goal may not have happened as the team were accommodating Wilson Palacios into the midfield, thus confusing Charlie Adam as to what his role in the eleven was at that moment in time. Nevertheless he should have run onto the ball and prevented Toure from having such an easy run, but all the blame cannot be put at his feet.

Back to the Brit - Gunning for Trouble:

Mesut Ozil on his home debut for Arsenal, against Stoke City

Whilst losing to Manchester City was an undesirable result, it was a good performance. At times it was backs to the wall, but only Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Barcelona have gone to the Etihad this season and left with three points. If the momentum from this performance, plus the previous games against Manchester United and Southampton can be taken ahead into the game with Arsenal, there is no reason Stoke cannot get a positive result. The Gunners will be without their talisman of the start of the season, Mesut Ozil, who has dropped in fan's estimations due to recent poor performances. Aaron Ramsey, Stoke-on-Trent's "favourite" player will be absent due to injury so Arsenal are weaker than in the previous fixture in key areas. Theo Walcott, though absent for some time now, is a miss for them as well as he offered a pacey threat down the wings that Arsene Wenger seems reluctant to trust Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to give. Tomas Rosicky may earn a second consecutive start after a fine performance against Sunderland, and wherever he plays, Stoke would be wise to mark him tightly as he can start or finish a move if given too much space.

Stoke's not so super-sub: John Guidetti

If there is one area that Stoke should look to try and alter their style of play ahead of this game, it is in attack where Peter Crouch, who has led the line admirably in recent weeks, will be up against a player in equal size and stature in Per Mertesacker. Now would be a good time to alter the frontline, if just for this one game, and try utilising a pacey forward like John Guidetti or switching Peter Odemwingie from the wings to the front line. Guidetti would be the best option as his inclusion would require the least reconstruction in other areas of the team, whilst having Odemwingie on the right wing would be good as long as Nacho Monreal is playing. Monreal has looked susceptible whenever he has played this season, and as a result Kieran Gibbs is rightly ahead of him in the pecking order, which is a surprise as Monreal came to England with fairly good reviews from his performances for Malaga in recent seasons. Having two wingers who can cause trouble for the opposition full-backs but also a pacey forward would give Stoke multiple angles to attack Arsenal with, though considering Mark Hughes's team selections this season, it would be a shock to see any drastic changes from the eleven that started against Manchester City.

Away from the Brit - Euro 2016 beckons!

Gareth Barry challenges for the ball against Switzerland

Before England have even been knocked out of a World Cup, their next Championship is on the horizon, with qualifiers announced against Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, San Marino and Lithuania. The toughest teams in the group are Switzerland and Slovenia, whilst the difference in quality between those two nations is vast as well. Switzerland are a rising footballing nation, with several well known players in their national team. Whilst beatable by a strong England team, they should finish second in the table. Third place, now worthy of a play off place, should then be a fight between Slovenia and Estonia, with the Slovenians my favourites to progress despite Estonia doing well in the last European Championship qualifiers, losing out to the Republic of Ireland over two legs. With a lot of players based in Italy's Serie A, the Slovenian team, in theory, will be set out well and be tough to break down, similar to Montenegro in England's recent qualifying campaigns, but lacking a specialist forward ala Jovetic and Vucinic for Montenegro.

England U21s in action against Scotland last year

For the next campaign to give any hope for the future of the national team, England will have to blood more U21 players. Looking at the last squad to play for the U21s, four out of the 23 man squad had featured for the senior team (Jack Butland, Carl Jenkinson, Wilfried Zaha and Raheem Sterling) whilst numerous others have been playing in the Premier League this season and performed admirably without receiving a call-up (Luke Shaw, James Ward-Prowse, Saido Berahino). Whilst some names may not be worthy of a call-up in the immediate future, Hodgson will have to show an intention to refresh the squad. What has concerned me regarding the current World Cup squad potentials is that players who are not playing regularly for their club may still be considered for their country, such as Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard. Jermaine Defoe has been offered a chance if he scores goals for Toronto FC, but he hadn't been scoring goals regularly for Tottenham before this was announced so what is to say he will be able to slot past Gianluigi Buffon in June come pressure time? James Milner, whilst like a Jon Walters work-horse, is not a regular for Manchester City, coming in for specific games in a rotation system. Should this put him ahead of Jordan Henderson who, despite his critics for his first two seasons at Liverpool, has impressed in a support role for Steven Gerrard this year. Jack Wilshere has played more regularly this season compared to the previous two seasons, but has his form suggested that he is a must for the plane to Brazil? At present I would say no. The same goes for Tom Cleverley who despite being a good retainer of possession has not contributed enough positives to his own season to earn a trip to the World Cup. All of these players, they all remain with a chance of making the plane to Brazil because Hodgson has not given the most promising of the U21s enough of a chance, and to call too many of them up for the showpiece tournament would risk failure beyond the current expectation the country has. For Euro 2016, with a good group to ready them, he needs to say goodbye to the old guard and place his faith in the future of England, for the future of England.

Quick Snippet - Didier Drogba and Chelsea:

Former hero, potential villain, when Drogba returns to face Chelsea

When it became official that Didier Drogba was leaving Chelsea and also the Premier League, there were mixed emotions here. Drogba in his prime had summed up all the worst of Chelsea, a team that were lucky, cheated to gain unfair advantages, and were unashamedly brazen when things did not go there way. The number of goals he scored for Chelsea was phenomenal, not necessarily due to the amount, but the number of important goals. In a cup final, he'd score. In a tight league match (against Stoke for instance), he'd open up the match with a goal. Yet since he has left the Premier League, it has to be said that something has been missing. Whilst he was a good target for good-natured heckling from the stands, Chelsea have enough players who supporters can 'abuse' from the stands. The only way I can sum this snippet up is by saying that when Drogba left Chelsea, they lost something important: a goalscorer. And considering Jose Mourinho has done little to deny this week that he lacks faith in his current group of forwards, would it be a surprise for Drogba to have one last swansong in the Premier League?

Two Points Gained

Odemwingie scores his first for the club against Southampton

Two goals away from home and things looked bright, certainly after seeing Peter Odemwingie opening his account for the club with a sublime finish. What has been said about it is true, that if any other striker in the league had scored that goal, no eyelids would have been batted in Stoke-on-Trent. But, because no Stoke striker has shown the prowess the finish a chance, with confidence, it looks like Stoke have found the finisher they have been after, mixed with a bit of Jon Walters's workhorse tenacity. Most important though was the timing of the goal. After being behind only seven minutes into the game, due to a special free kick from England hopeful Rickie Lambert, Stoke needed the goal to have hope of going into half time with something to fight for. So to concede again so soon after to Sean Davis's cross-shot was galling. Where do you lie blame with a goal like that? Shawcross was too far away, Begovic was wrong-footed and Cameron was too slow to get anything onto the end of the ball. It would be harsh to blame any one of them, but it has to be said that Mauricio Pochettino's claims that his team conceded soft goals is baffling. A sublime free kick and a cross that found its way into the net have little to no comparison to a well placed through-ball finish for Odemwingie's goal, and Stoke's second, from a corner. Peter Crouch, holding off his marker to get to the ball first and tap it in, though whether it was with his head of his leg, it matters not.

Lambert's opening goal gave Begovic no chance

Despite a save from a free kick in the second half, Stoke were untroubled for the most part with both sides appearing satisfied with the draw. So the first point of a two game week gained. What could be taken out of this match? First of all is that Lady Luck has not been wooed sufficiently enough, despite last week's victory over Manchester United. The two goals conceded leave a bad taste in the mouth of supporters as they were unpreventable. Adam handballed in the lead up to Southampton's first but a goal may have been created anyway had he not caused a stoppage in play, whilst the second no one knew what was going to happen before the ball hit the net. For Stoke to have a fruitful end to the season, they need a few more slices of luck on their side. Also what was noticeable is that we are capable of scoring goals at the ground of 'tough' teams. The label 'tough' alongside Southampton comes from the fact that most pundits predicted a comfortable win for Southampton, based on their lofty league position, crop of young English players, and their current form being satisfying. Coming away from St. Mary's with only a point is not a bad thing, but given what went against the team, supporters should not be criticised for saying that Stoke could, and maybe should have left with more.

Return to the Brit - On/Off Stoke vs Swansea:

Peter Crouch's second in consecutive games, taking his league tally
to six goals for the season.

Considering the damage the winds had caused across the North of England this midweek, it was a surprise to see Stoke's match go ahead. Despite an adboard being blown over and corner flags fighting to stay in the ground, the match went ahead and Stoke, for the second consecutive home game, went ahead in the 17th minute through Peter Crouch. A Peter Odemwingie shot cannoned off the left hand post and pinged its way back to Peter Crouch just inside the area, by the D, and he slotted the ball home through a sea of Swansea players. A good goal in the conditions, and apart from a Nathan Dyer effort that flew just past the left hand post, Swansea did not look like scoring in the first half. Breaking a trend seen in recent Britannia Stadium fixtures though, Swansea came back, scoring through Chico Flores, who headed the ball just out of Asmir Begovic's reach. Harsh on Stoke, but Swansea were unlucky not to get a second, with the hard work of Ryan Shawcross racing back to clear the ball off the goalline preventing Wilfried Bony getting his name onto the scoresheet. Once again though, luck intervened and chose once more not to favour Stoke, denying them a penalty after a Flores tackle on Peter Crouch in the dying moments of the match.

Spot the difference between Stoke and Swansea players!

So two points from two games. A point against Southampton was understandable, but only a point against Swansea raises questions of Stoke's capability to beat the teams around us. With games against Manchester City and Arsenal coming up next, a five point buffer away from the bottom three would have been most welcome, now though taking a point at least from these two games might be needed. As for the Swansea game, whilst it highlighted, once again, a lack of luck Stoke seem to have had all season, it has made me question the future of Peter Crouch at Stoke City. With 8 goals in all competitions this season he has matched his tally for last season and is only 6 goals away from matching his tally for his first season at the club, where he also played in one extra competition. Whilst matching that tally would be some achievement, come the end of the season, Peter Crouch will only have one year left on the four year contract he signed upon joining Stoke in 2011. With the likelihood of extension low, it is good for Stoke that he is scoring goals as this could be his last season at the club. His transfer fee of £10m (possibly rising to £12m) cannot be recouped now, but there could still be a chance of making some money from a player who up to now has scored 30 goals in 105 appearances for the club. If a London-based club, QPR for instance if they gain promotion, shows an interest, a fee of £2.5m up to £3m would not be unreasonable for a player of Crouch's quality. Based on the transfer fees Stoke have paid in the last two transfer windows as well, this would take Crouch's high wages of the bill and leave a slice of cash to buy a replacement for Crouch with. All hypotheticals, but if the Swansea match showed something, it is that Crouch has still got something to offer Stoke in these remaining months of the season, and hopefully other clubs will be taking note.

Away from the Brit - Fortress Etihad Breached!

Manchester City marshalled at home by Chelsea

The danger of predicting any league finish is that a sudden surge of form, by a player or a team as a whole can change everything. In my half-time report I noted that as Chelsea were not scoring enough goals through their three recognised strikers, they would struggle to finish inside the top four. Their attack at the time was not free-flowing and it had not been long since they were leaking goals against Stoke at the Britannia. What I failed to factor in was that a player, maybe not world-class but one of the best in the Premier League, could take Chelsea by the scruff of their neck and drag them up the league. Eden Hazard has been in magical form of late, and though he did not score at the Etihad, he caused Manchester City problems on the counter attack, always sitting on the half-way line at corners, constantly posing a question for their defence. It showed that Manchester City, whilst free-flowing at home in attack, do not like to defend. Vincent Kompany, whilst showing a steady level of form, has not hit the heights that left some supporters in disbelief that he did not earn a place on either of the last two FIFA teams of the year. Martin Demichelis has warranted criticism for his defending, with age affecting his ability to defend as can be seen across the city with Rio Ferdinand's light dwindling. The key though was that whenever Chelsea defended, they made sure that they had bodies forward, ready for the counter attack. How can this be converted to allow a Stoke team to walk away from the Etihad with their heads held high at least?

Assaidi's pace could be key to any point earned at the Etihad

First of all, Chelsea played with a tight central four players. Terry, Cahill, Matic and Luiz never too far away from each other. For this reason I believe bringing in Wilson Palacios for man of the moment Charlie Adam would be a wise move. Palacios is, if anything, disciplined. Placing him alongside Whelan will then give Shawcross and (Huth hopefully, Wilson if not) the midfield barrier they need to stop the likes of David Silva, Sergio Aguero and/or Stevan Jovetic from dropping deep and dictating play on the edge of Stoke's area. Beside this alteration, Stoke should stick with their most recent formation, with Jon Walters operating behind Peter Crouch. Part of his role would be staying as tight as possible to Yaya Toure, making sure that come the end of the game, Toure feels battered and bruised, he knows that he has had a game! In doing this, it places responsibility on Toure's midfield partner (Fernandinho, Garcia, Milner) to let the game flow. If the 'middle four' players do their job correctly, they should be able to prevent one of the three aforementioned players from having too great an impact on the game. This then allows Stoke to attack out wide with Odemwingie and Assaidi having enough pace to track back when Manchester City attack, but also to give them food for thought when Stoke go forward. Gael Clichy and Aleksander Kolarov aren't too different from Luke Shaw and you would hope that Odemwingie would be anticipating a good match-up on the day whoever plays against him. Zabaleta is a trickier customer, frequently mentioned as one of the most steady right-backs in the league in recent seasons - scoring against Stoke once or twice to prove the point! Assaidi will have to be alert to the threat Zabaleta will pose, but also try to cause the Argentinian problems that he has not been coping too well with in recent weeks. If Odemwingie or Assaidi can get the better of their full-backs, then in Peter Crouch there is a man in form and hopefully if he plays off Martin Demichelis, Stoke will have a chance to take something from Manchester City's fortress.

Quick Snippet - John Terry

John Terry in one of his last England international matches

"There have been calls for his return to the international set-up," is the go-to phrase journalists have used in the last 48 hours regarding the possibility of John Terry's reinclusion into the England squad ahead of the 2014 World Cup. On paper it makes some sense. John Terry has been a mainstay (until last week's game against Newcastle) in the Chelsea defence this season, whilst his main defensive partner has been England centre-back Gary Cahill. The theory is simple: bring John Terry back and let him and Cahill replicate their form that has created one of the meanest Premier League defences of the season. Personally though, I am glad Roy Hodgson resisted the urges to reopen that avenue, offering a public olive branch to the player. First of all it would display that a player is bigger than his country when a manager is calling for a retired player to come back and play for their country. Once you are retired from international duty, that should be that, no returns. Some have done it in recent years: Jamie Carragher, Ben Foster to name just two, but the principle should remain the same. Once you think you cannot do your club and country good service, you stop playing and give others a chance. Although some may argue that John Terry only walked because of the aftermath of having the England captaincy taken away from him, for a second time, he has been playing better since not playing international matches as well. An added factor that has been taken into account very little is that England have an established central pairing in Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka. In the world of hypotheticals, which is where all this is at the moment, if Terry had been recalled, and then suffered an injury that ruled him out of the tournament, Jagielka would be playing knowing that his manager had not got the confidence in him to stick with him and resist the urges to recall Terry. Another factor is that it would prevent another, younger, centre-back from getting to a major tournament and gaining experience of being involved in the build-up to big games. For me, there are too many negatives to recalling Terry that outweigh the positives his current form is bringing to his Chelsea team.

It Doesn't Mata

Wilson Palacios vs Eden Hazard

If this past week could be typified in any way, although slightly cliché I feel 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' would be a suitable description. The first match of the last week was at Stamford Bridge, with the game at Chelsea being the second of three consecutive away games. Out of the three, I would describe this as the ugly match, where I found it hard to come out of the game with any positivity. Stoke went into the game off the back of losses to Crystal Palace and Liverpool and at the time needed a positive performance, at least, to give the supporters hope ahead of a midweek trip to Capital One Cup Finalists Sunderland. What they got was very uninspiring. The game plan, it seems, was to restrict Chelsea's efforts on goal and to play on the counter-attack. In principle this was a good game plan, and considering the only goal of the game came from a set-piece, arguably it was a worthwhile ploy. Where it fell apart though was the goal. Afterwards there was little sign of a Plan B, with the use of substitutes, not for the first time this season, confusing supporters.Whilst Charlie Adam has been in good form in recent weeks, his introduction at the expense of Marko Arnautovic was intriguing as Jonathan Walters had rarely threatened during the game. He was not the only one to lack threat though as one shot on target all game suggested a turbulent week ahead for the Potters.

Adam Johnson pouncing on Asmir Begovic's poor parry

During the Chelsea game, one thing of concern was a lack of confidence Asmir Begovic appeared to exude compared to normal. Perhaps he was worried about the splint around his broken finger, or it was just simply a struggle to get back into the hustle and bustle of top level goalkeeping, but against Chelsea he looked a bit rusty at the routine goalkeeping duties. After travelling north to Sunderland for the final part of the Potters three game away tour, with new signing Peter Odemwingie in tow, Stoke fans saw the bad side of football. To be fair to them, this was not necessarily a bad team performance, but it was not worthy of being called good either! Whilst it was more encouraging than the Chelsea game, which isn't too hard considering the difference in quality between the two teams, more chances for Stoke and less for Sunderland gave Stoke hope, despite an eventual 1-0 loss, the third from the three away games. The goal came from a poor parry from the aforementioned, and usually reliable Asmir Begovic. Considering all he has done for Stoke in the past two years, he cannot be made an example of for an error, yet you feel if he had been 100% fit, the parry would have been stronger and gone wider of goal, perhaps giving Marc Wilson or Erik Pieters more time to recover. In the present, he has not looked back since this mistake, but at that moment, you would expect Begovic himself to have expected better of himself. Stoke's attacking, whilst better than previous games, still lacked a cutting edge. An example of this came in the first half when Ryan Shawcross, unmarked at a set-piece, glanced his free header directly in Vito Mannone's direction. He tried to make amends in the second half with a header against the bar, whilst Peter Odemwingie had a shot saved by Mannone after some neat footwork to try and regain equality on the scoreboard. The intentions were there from Stoke, just not the final touch. This was summed up by Steven Nzonzi's red card (a second yellow card) for 'bringing down' Jozy Altidore on a break of play. Despite little contact between the two players, which in essence was a small shove on Altidore by Nzonzi, he saw red due to the initial intention he had of stopping the American forward. It was a harsh punishment, but if it was any other team besides Stoke, you would want to see a second yellow card.

Adam, with a wicked deflection, puts Stoke a goal up
against Manchester United

Nzonzi's misfortune was to be Stoke's gain as his absence offered Mark Hughes an opportunity to experiment. He could have brought Wilson Palacios into the side and made a like-for-like change, yet declined this opportunity, instead reverting to a 4-2-4 system. Peter Odemwingie, impressing on his debut more centrally than wide was asked to fill the right hand spot once again, with Jon Walters sitting behind Peter Crouch, with another surprise inclusion being Marko Arnautovic over Oussama Assaidi. Charlie Adam and Glenn Whelan occupied the central midfield slots, whilst the back four remained unchanged from Sunderland. Manchester United without surprise chose to field their new trinity of Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata from the off, yet David Moyes's late-match tactical plans were thrown into disarray early into the game with an injury to Jonny Evans. This tactical shuffle could only positively affect the team though as it introduced an attack minded Rafael at right-back for centre-back-cum-full-back Chris Smalling. Despite this change, United went behind to a bit of good fortune, for a change, to the Potters, with Charlie Adam's long range free-kick taking a deflection off Michael Carrick, wrong-footing David de Gea and going into the empty corner of the net. Another injury, this time to Phil Jones after a collision with Jon Walters caused another change for Manchester United, this time though I feel it did impact on the game negatively for last season's Champions, and positively for Stoke. Lady luck shined for Stoke and for Mark Hughes when Danny Welbeck was given the order to enter the game. Whilst I have time for Danny Welbeck as a player, I feel it was the wrong time to introduce him to this game as their midfield wasn't dominating and losing Michael Carrick to the defence would only hinder their performance. Although these thoughts appeared to put a jinx on Stoke's chances of victory when Robin van Persie equalised, they proved worthwhile doubts. With no shielding midfielders, performing the Carrick role if you like, Charlie Adam was allowed to run onto Marko Arnautovic's 'flick-on' without interference and pile-drive the ball into the net. Here the scene was set and things were going Stoke's way. The opposition had lost their best midfielder to fill in as a defender, whilst their star signing was flitting in and out of the game, sitting in the hole, rather than trying to take a hold of it. Stoke in the meantime had fortune with their two injuries, as they happened to the two players whose absence benefitted the team in the closing stages. Jon Walters, fortunate not to have received a harsh red card moments before his substitution was groggy from several heavy challenges and his replacement, Stephen Ireland, allowed Stoke some composure on the ball when the Potters were in possession. Marko Arnautovic also suffered injury in the second half and was replaced by Oussama Assaidi, and whilst it was unlucky for Arnautovic who had threatened in the second half in particular, Assaidi offered fresh legs and a new challenge, forcing de Gea into one notable smart save. The use of substitutions in the modern game was clear in these 90 minutes as with one change left each, both managers showed their intentions with their last change. Moyes wanting to save van Persie for battles ahead replaced him for Javier Hernandez, whilst Mark Hughes took Glenn Whelan off to freshen up his midfield for the final rally from United. One was cautious for the future, one was cautious of the present. In the end, Hughes won out in his use of substitutions, and his tactics for the game worked out. If he can find some consistency in team selections and changes, it is not impossible for this result not to be a one-off success.

When the Saints Go Marching In:

Glenn Whelan marking James Ward Prowse in November

Unless you are a supporter of Portsmouth, it would be hard to say Southampton haven't had a good season. Sitting ninth in the Premier League at present, they are one of the few teams, at present, who look out of danger of relegation. It would take a freefall of epic proportions for them to suffer now, especially with so many teams below them and with so many good players still in their squad. However, they have dipped in form in recent weeks, with the absence of Victor Wanyama a key factor at times. Whilst Steven Davis and Jack Cork have been able deputies, they have appeared better this season when the Kenyan has started. His return coincided with a 3-0 win at Craven Cottage, and whilst Fulham were at fault for their loss in this game, Southampton will be in form when Stoke head to St Mary's this weekend.

Rodriguez finishing with the wind past Begovic

As in November, the key to stopping Southampton will be in how relentless Stoke are in their pressing. Whilst they have some good players, some such as Adam Lallana who I believe could be outsiders for the England World Cup squad, the more pressure the Stoke players put on them, the more liable they are to making a mistake. The same though has to be said for us so calm heads must prevail at the weekend for any result in this game. For this reason I would be tempted to make only one change from last week's starting eleven, with Steven Nzonzi coming in for Glenn Whelan. Whilst Whelan did nothing wrong against United, plus Nzonzi has not been in the best form of his Stoke career in recent months, he is a player who can pick a pass under pressure when he is in the right frame of mind. Sticking with the shape Stoke employed against Manchester United, but just altering the tactics and personnel slightly may bring about a positive result.

Transfer Business:

Odemwingie is a good stop-gap purchase, but not the future of the club

It has been a mixed bag for transfers this window, with the purchases made not weakening the team, but there is a feeling that they might not be ones we will remember for the right reasons in years to come. The first transfer was a formality, with Stephen Ireland confirming his move to Stoke on a permanent transfer with a contract until the end of the season. This allowed the club to bring John Guidetti in, who to date has made two appearances off the bench totalling 19 minutes in match time. A majority of Stoke supporters are frustrated on his behalf that he hasn't seen more game time in the hope of breaking into the league team, but with 14 fixtures still to be played, he has the time to make an impression yet. Peter Odemwingie was an odd transfer, certainly from left field as no one expected this to be the last transfer of the window for the club. Whilst I believe he will have his uses during his 18 month contract with Stoke, I do not believe he will be a player Stoke can rely on. After two games for the club, one a win over Manchester United, this may be a harsh judgement, but unless goals start to flow from the Nigerian, I feel this may be just a transfer to fill a squad spot rather than to challenge those already within it. After the permanent signing of Juan Agudelo, he has been loaned out to FC Utrecht, which will be good for Stoke's young American so that he gets game time in European football. Hopefully by next season he will have a work permit and be able to focus on a good start to his Stoke career. As for other outgoings, Odemwingie's arrival also meant the departure of Kenwyne Jones. To say he was an enigmatic figure at the club would be an understatement, but to this day some fondness for him remains, despite the nature of his exit from the club. His first season at the club was full of highs, with his goals en route to a FA Cup Final sticking most fondly in my memory, even though his last three years have been more painful due to his lack of game time rather than to his unimpressive performances when playing. I wish him some luck at Cardiff, not enough to justify his exit from the club, but enough so that he does not believe Stoke destroyed his career, but that he failed to push it on himself. There have been loan moves for Maurice Edu (to Philadelphia Union), Brek Shea (to Barnsley) and Jamie Ness (to Leyton Orient) and I hope all three have successful spells away from the club, although it is likely that Edu will remain in the USA so here I say thanks for wanting to join Stoke, even if the move failed to work out for both parties.

Quick Snippet - Bizarre transfers!

Potentially the most shocking transfer of the century!
Adel Taarabt from Fulham to AC Milan

Two transfers on Deadline Day left me wondering where I can get myself an agent. I cannot kick a ball for my life, but sometimes I wonder if those who play can! Seeing AC Milan going in for Adel Taarabt left me scratching my head, and I'm sure I felt my skull after news broke that Philippe Senderos had moved from the same club (Fulham) to Valencia. Adel Taarabt, whilst capable of occasional moments of brilliance, has struggled to find his way in a relegation threatened team. So why have a team with such prestige as AC Milan gone in for him? Perhaps an answer will be found in time, but at the moment I feel that Taarabt's agent is a very good salesman! The same can be said of Senderos, guilty of fouling Stephen Ireland and getting away with it in October's fixture, yet now he is enjoying a move to Spain. Whilst Fulham will be glad to get these two players off their wage bill, it is hard to understand how they both found their way to such prestigious clubs in Europe, when in my opinion they would struggle to get in most SkyBet Championship sides.