Stoke City vs Manchester City - Post Match Thoughts

Charlie Adam impressed, willing to take shots on goal from distance

On the surface of the game, any neutral football supporter, peering at the results and seeing a 0-0 scoreline between Stoke City and Manchester City, would assume a dominant performance from the title challengers, and Stoke to be hanging on for dear life. Whilst it was not to this extreme for either team, Stoke City certainly put in a performance that merited praise from pundits across the country. Manchester City had made several changes from their last league game against Hull, most likely with their midweek game against Viktoria Plzen. Joleon Lescott, Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Edin Dzeko were all dropped from the team in favour of Javi Garcia, Jack Rodwell, James Milner, Stevan Jovetic, Samir Nasri and Alvaro Negredo. On paper, it could be considered that City replaced great players with great players. However, the sheer number of changes seemed to disrupt the Citizens as despite keeping nearly 58% possession in the game, there were few penetrating passes for Stoke's defence to deal with. Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth, despite the latter being knocked unconscious towards the end of the game, marshalled the defence manfully, tackling when required, yet doing the simple things the right way as well. Early in the first half, Shawcross, one-on-one with Negredo had the choice to close his man down, or to stand off him and invite a shot. He chose the latter, knowing his goalkeeper would be able to save any shot from that distance, and positioned his body correctly so that it would fail to cause Begovic any trouble. In the second half, with the ball at his feet and Manchester City forwards closing him down, he managed to play the ball out and the resulting forward moves created a chance for Stoke. Huth on the other side of the pitch proved why he is considered an unstoppable force, throwing himself into a clearing header moments after recovering consciousness after two or three minutes out cold on the pitch. This defensive solidity allowed Stoke to threaten more than their Manchester counterparts, the Potter's troubles coming from a lack of clinical finishing. Jon Walters was culpable of missing the best chance of the game, although Kenwyne Jones and Steven Nzonzi may look away from any television set when showing highlights of the chances they had to grab a goal in the game.

Shooting practice is in order for the midfield passing maestro

The introduction of Marko Arnautovic, as well as Stephen Ireland, promised much in the remaining 20 minutes of the game, yet an injury to Kenwyne Jones seemed to force Mark Hughes's hand when perhaps he had other ideas in mind regarding his final substitution. Arnautovic showed glimpses of his ability, being confident enough on his debut to take a free kick (sending it into row Z though) and forcing a good save from a surging cross into the box which deflected goal-wards off Matija Nastasic. He could have even stole the game for Stoke in the final touch of the game with a late effort that rippled the top of the net and had supporters of the Potters dreaming of a famous Britannia Stadium victory. Stephen Ireland had less impact in the game than what I had hoped for, but he did show how he is willing to prove his critics wrong, running into tackles and showing a good work ethic when trying to recover possession, even if his creative output was ultimately limited. I feel that for now, the bench is the best place for Ireland to start his Stoke City career, but in the months ahead, I believe he will prove to be a valuable starting player, once his fitness and form have improved. He linked up well with Kenwyne Jones, and later Peter Crouch, performing the role of a number 10 efficiently, if not effectively.

Has promise, but don't expect too much too soon from him

After four games, it is worthwhile to look at how Stoke have set up at this early stage in the season. The shape that the team takes is fairly similar to that was employed by Tony Pulis, with a man in the hole supporting a lone striker. However, Mark Hughes has adapted his tactics to suit this system, employing Jon Walters to play this role, despite being positioned on the right of the three man forward line. Walters has a free role when attacking, getting as close as possible to Jones or Crouch to react to their flick ons, whilst Geoff Cameron is given license to bomb forward and offer himself on the right wing. When this happens, this is where Marc Wilson's role in the team becomes evident, offering cover for any attacking full-backs, shifting to auxiliary right or left back if the space is left bare when the opposition counter attack. This change in tactic allows Stoke to carry as many players forward as possible when attacking, whilst not risking defensive solidity at the back. Ireland's introduction yesterday though showed that whilst we have a plan A, we also have a plan B, with Ireland taking over Walters's free role in the hole, and allowing the team more solidity by not breaking shape when attacking. With next Sunday's game with Arsenal in mind, I would not be surprised to see this plan B being utilised at some point during the ninety minutes, with Arsenal's threat on the counterattack greater with the introduction of Mesut Ozil.

Away from the Brit - Fight for Seventh:

After four games, the decision on who to back for the top of the pile, outside of the traditional top six, is getting harder to decide. Here is a list of those, excluding Stoke City, who I think have a chance of being the top of the rest of the league.

Newcastle:

Despite only making one signing, on loan, this summer, they have a fairly good squad and a good fan base. Their final league position will come from how Alan Pardew uses his resources. Whilst they are not my favourites to be the top of the pile, they are a team that should not be underestimated.

Norwich:

Norwich have made quite a few signings this summer and so far they have had a few disappointing results, but after the Stoke City game in a fortnight's time - my bias showing here sadly - I believe they will be a really tough team to play against, that no team will fancy playing. A top ten finish should be a priority for the club in my opinion considering the money they have spent this summer.

Southampton:

Despite there only being considerable outlay on four outfield players, Southampton have strengthened their team by bringing younger players James Ward-Prowse and Callum Chambers into the first team, whilst the additions of Victor Wanyama and Pablo Osvaldo, to name two, add experience to the squad. The Saints supporters will be hoping for a top ten finish, although after recent results, they may be willing to settle at the moment to just get around the top ten.

Everton:

The clear favourites for the fight for seventh, yet will they do it? The only doubt that they will do it comes from the change in management, as the signings that the club has made can only strengthen the group they already had. As long as the passing style of football that Roberto Martinez is trying to implement does not destabilise the group, they could even go beyond the top seven, if any of the predicted top six slip up.

Swansea:

Another of the clear favourites for the top seven spot, after finishing in the top ten last season. The doubt that they have over whether they will achieve this target is whether they can combine playing in the Europa League and compete in the Premier League. If they can, they have a team and style of play that is hard to beat, whether you are a top of the table team or relegation contender.

Aston Villa:

Like Newcastle, they had a rough season last season, but unlike their North East counterparts, they have strengthened their team significantly, although the majority of players are unproven in the Premier League. If their defence, which at times last season was a leaky as a tap, can be more solid, they have a chance of causing a surprise or two this season with a star striker like Christian Benteke up front.

Away from England - Belgium:

Courtois, Witsel, Benteke, Dembele, Kompany, Vertonghen,
Alderweireld, De Bruyne, Hazard, Mertens, Vermaelen
Belgium's Bright Future

It won't have escaped everyone's attention, but Belgium should be considered one of the favourites for the World Cup in 2014. Despite having players such as Kompany, Benteke and Hazard as regular starters, there are some who can't even get into the starting eleven on a regular basis, such as Romelu Lukaku, Simon Mignolet, Kevin Mirallas and Tottenham new boy Nacer Chadli. They have a wealth of talent in their squad and in their squad to play Scotland, only four players still plied their trade in their homeland. Kevin Kilbane wrote recently about how Ireland should follow Belgium's example and try to hone Irish player's talents before they depart for foreign shores and get lost in a Premier League team's U21 squad. If only England could do this. Ireland and Belgium are aware that their native leagues are not the strongest, but the English Premier League cannot use this as an excuse. We have to not just create good English players, but play them. Perhaps we could follow this blueprint of developing our younger players and sending them out on loan to foreign shores, getting them used to continental football, with less pressure to win and succeed, preparing them for playing without inhibitions in future years.

Quick Snippet:

Pulis and Reid, Stoke's best league finish when both worked in tandem

From the two snippets I have seen of Tony Pulis and Peter Reid on 'Goals on Sunday', I can see why they made such a good partnership in the 2009/10 season. What I noticed was that whilst Pulis would offer his opinions quite freely on Stoke or England, when Reid jumped in, it was with a worthwhile point. This also worked the other way round as well with Pulis challenging Reid's opinions. The general consensus from Stoke supporters is that Dave Kemp, Stoke Assistant Manager for the majority of our Premier League stay until May 2013, he was unwilling to challenge Pulis in the dressing room. Based on how Pulis and Reid interacted with one another, you can see that Reid was unlikely to be a yes man, but more so if he had a point, Pulis listened. It makes you wonder what could have happened if Reid had not gone on to manage Plymouth. Could the two have made greater history for the club than what Pulis achieved on his own?