Stoke 2-2 Leicester: Five things we learned
After Stoke’s 2-2 draw at home to Leicester on Saturday, we take a look at what we learned from the game as the Potters’ winless Premier League run continued.
Worrying lack of balance in the squad…
Stoke have now conceded eight goals in the first six games, many of which have been the result of basic mistakes. Why? Well, it’s simple. Hughes has imported an influx of attacking talent whilst switching the emphasis to a more aesthetic style of play. But, amidst the excitement of such flair arriving in the Potteries, the defence has been somewhat forgotten. That’s more often than not masked by the outstanding Shawcross, but his absence with a back injury has unveiled a fundamental level of vulnerability in Stoke’s back four.
Stoke should have kept Huth…
The former Chelsea defender, often dubbed the ‘Berlin Wall’ for his physical prowess at centre-back, developed a formidable partnership with Shawcross under Tony Pulis. His no-nonsense approach is missed at the Britannia Stadium. Muniesa and Cameron can certainly play on the floor, but they are nowhere near as strong as their German predecessor. And Philipp Wollscheid is hardly a convincing back-up either. Perhaps it should have been Huth who stayed with the Potters, not Wollscheid- who manged to secure a permanent deal despite an inconsistent loan spell in the second half of last season.
Bojan has been sorely missed…
Of course, this is not a shocking revelation. We all knew this before Saturday’s match, but Bojan’s well-taken goal to open the scoring against Leicester just confirmed why supporters had been eagerly anticipating the Spaniard’s return to the starting eleven. It was not just the finish that was so impressive, but also the intelligent run that he made to create such an inviting opportunity. Here’s hoping that the former Barcelona prodigy remains injury-free and continues his goal-scoring exploits.
Potters must go back to basics…
One of the most frustrating things about this current Stoke team is that, with the obvious exception of Philippe Coutinho’s long-range stunner in the opening game of the season, they are not exactly being beaten by moments of magic or world-class goals. The goals conceded have been the cause of simple mistakes- ones that could have easily been avoided with a little bit of communication, concentration and discipline.
Against Norwich, lacklustre marking allowed Russell Martin to claim an easy equaliser for the Canaries. At Arsenal, Marc Muniesa was undone by a long ball over the top. And in the Leicester match, two men- Wilson and Cameron- both went for the same ball, which left Jamie Vardy unmarked and free to receive a flick on before netting the equaliser.
Nevertheless, record against Leicester is impressive…
Whilst the latest result against the Foxes certainly feels like a defeat, the draw means that Stoke have now lost just once in their last seven meetings against Leicester- winning three and drawing three. That one defeat came at the beginning of last season, when a second-half strike from Leonardo Ulloa secured a narrow 1-0 victory at the Britannia Stadium. Hopefully for Mark Hughes and co, Stoke will add another win to that tally when the two sides meet at the King Power Stadium in January. And they’ll have hopefully bagged their first win of the season by then!