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.