How to fix Stoke - Part 2
Since I started writing this blog things have changed.
Stoke City have appointed a new manager, Nathan Jones of Luton Town. Other than the fact he was highy rated I have to admit I didn't know that much about Jones.
Happily what I have read is all very positive. And the style of football and formation he likes to play are very much in line with what I feel the quickest way to turn Stoke City into a competitive outfit is.
He seems to favour the hipsters choice of current formations 4-Diamond-2.
This formation, as I mentioned in my fixing Everton series is usually highly reliant on full backs who can provide attacking and defensive width. You then need a solid player in front of the back 4, a box to box midfielder, a creative passer, a pressing number 10 and two strikers, one more as a focal point and one more roaming.
From looking at a video of Luton's goals from the last year they seem to play a harder running, more chaotic (this is good for viewers) version of the system with lot of players ahead of the ball. Also lots of goals scored from long shots and flooding the box for deflections and rebounds.
When I was thinking through how Stoke City could play with their remaining core of players this was actually going to be my recommended formation. I'm not sure the personnel are right to play exactly the way Luton Town did without some major changes but I'm sure Jones will adapt.
Not being a Stoke City fan, and not knowing the complete picture with what has happened with their players who were banished from the squad this season I am going to make the assumption that the man management skills of Jones are good enough that he can win over and motivate some of these players.
Goalkeeper - Jack Butland
Not much to say on Jack, he is a highly rated keeper and probably not a player high on the list to be replaced.
Right back - Moritz Bauer or Tom Edwards
Bauer fits the bill for the type of player you would want from a right back in this system. He has the energy from an attacking perspective to cover the pitch and provide width and crosses.
Edwards I haven't seen much of. He seems to be described more as a defensive right back. This doesn't mean he couldn't grow into the role.
Left back - New player or Josh Tymon
Tymon is a player who has the potential to grow into the role of a general left sided player having a sound defensive base and a good range of passing.
But, sorry Luton fans, the man ideal for Jones' system is the man doing the job already for him at Luton. James Justin. He is thriving at left back or at right back. And this versatility is key as he could be perform the role well on either side if Tymon became the player it was hoped he would be when at Hull.
Centre back - Bruno Martins Indi and Ryan Shawcross
I think these two supplemented by some younger players will be sufficient for the moment. This may be me just remembering them being OK Premier League players but you can't replace every player at once.
Deep midfield - Ryan Woods (backed up by Imbula)
I don't know how Woods has settled into life at Stoke City but he was excellent for Brentford in a similar role with both the playmaking and defensive qualities to do well in this type of system.
Box to box role - Peter Etebo (backed up by Sam Clucas)
The box to box role is about supplying energy and ball carrying ability into the team. I liked the look of Etebo in the World Cup where he seemed to perform a similar role for Nigeria.
Clucas has suffered from people not knowing his best role, including me! He has played wide left and in more central roles and therefore I'm assuming he has the ability to perform a box to box midfield role.
Passer - Joe Allen (backed up with Badou Ndiaye)
Joe Allen doesn't have a natural place in this formation, but I think he and Woods are good enough passers to share the creative and defensive load between them and play those forward passes to our more forward thinking player.
Although something obviously went badly wrong with Ndiaye this season I have liked what I've seen of him as a player in the past. He is a good creative passer from midfield and has technical ability in attacking positions. If Jones can reintegrate him he could be a potent attacking threat in either this role or the number 10 slot.
Number 10 - New player or Tom Ince
Ince has the attributes to play this role. However he may be more suited to the roving forward role so I'll review him there.
In terms of alternatives, and looking through the team so far there is a general lack of pace and flair. The number 10 needs to be a dynamic player, capable of harrying the opposition but also having the quality to pick a pass.
I've previously picked out Alexis Claude Maurice of Lorient in France as being a really good target for an ambitious Championship club. He plays this role well and could probably interchange well with Ince. Likewise I liked the look of Manu Vallejo from Cadiz in the Spanish second division, however since I mentioned him he has signed a new 4 year contract with a £14m buy out clause. Not out of the question but more expensive than you would have paid if you followed my advice a month ago :)
However I feel Stoke City are more likely to look domestically for targets. Over the last few years they have tended to target experienced mid-aged players. A strategy that has back fired with the team becoming stodgy and, in football terms, old.
They could look for inbetweener players, ones too good for the U23 league, but not yet good enough for Premier League football. Clubs increasingly want to get these players into good development teams playing under progressive managers.
England has a rich seam of players looking for first team opportunities and Stoke has a gap in their squad for players from 17-25 years old. The North West has Everton, Liverpool and the two Manchester clubs all with huge squads full of talented young players looking for game time but close enough to home so they have support structures in place.
The types of players I am thinking of are Kieran Dowell or Tahith Chong for first team ready players, even younger players like Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes, Luke Bolton (and about 10 other City players) and Rhian Brewster could be options given the number of experienced players to surround them.
If we are looking for a player on the way up, and ownership is important, then perhaps Tom Bayliss of Coventy City could be the answer. He fits the profile of an attacking midfielder with a good all round game. I personally rate the other two recommendations higher but we shouldn't underestimate the impact of having a cohesive group, something Nathan Jones puts high value on. He will want a team of players in it for the long haul so a hungry player eager to step up may be better than ones who see Stoke City as a temporary stop or a juicy contract.
Roving forward - Tom Ince or new loanee player (like Mason Greenwood)
Tom Ince is a very high quality player at Championship level. He does his best work with managers who give him freedom to roam around. With his quality with either foot he would do well in this role where less defensive work is required of him than in the number 10 position.
Focal striker - Benik Afobe (backed up by Saido Berahino or youngsters like Rhian Brewster)
Afobe is a good Championship striker, he seems at his best running on to balls played ahead of him and I saw a fair few Luton goals where quick long passes released a striker so he will be OK for this role.
So a final line up of:
It looks solid, particularly in central midfield and defence. Looking at it now I think you are quite reliant on the attacking midfielder/10 for creativity. That may mean either Etebo or Allen having to be replaced by a more forward thinking midfielder.
Either way I think for a team adding only two players - a 19 year old fullback and a 20 year old attacker (though I've only put Maurice in at 10 because his skillset - ball carrying at pace, is probably more valuable to move Stoke City forward) it is a significant improvement over the current lineup.
Although I was still hoping they'd make a £15m offer to make the Cuco Martina signing official......there is still a chance isn't there?
Stoke City have appointed a new manager, Nathan Jones of Luton Town. Other than the fact he was highy rated I have to admit I didn't know that much about Jones.
Happily what I have read is all very positive. And the style of football and formation he likes to play are very much in line with what I feel the quickest way to turn Stoke City into a competitive outfit is.
He seems to favour the hipsters choice of current formations 4-Diamond-2.
This formation, as I mentioned in my fixing Everton series is usually highly reliant on full backs who can provide attacking and defensive width. You then need a solid player in front of the back 4, a box to box midfielder, a creative passer, a pressing number 10 and two strikers, one more as a focal point and one more roaming.
From looking at a video of Luton's goals from the last year they seem to play a harder running, more chaotic (this is good for viewers) version of the system with lot of players ahead of the ball. Also lots of goals scored from long shots and flooding the box for deflections and rebounds.
When I was thinking through how Stoke City could play with their remaining core of players this was actually going to be my recommended formation. I'm not sure the personnel are right to play exactly the way Luton Town did without some major changes but I'm sure Jones will adapt.
Not being a Stoke City fan, and not knowing the complete picture with what has happened with their players who were banished from the squad this season I am going to make the assumption that the man management skills of Jones are good enough that he can win over and motivate some of these players.
Goalkeeper - Jack Butland
Not much to say on Jack, he is a highly rated keeper and probably not a player high on the list to be replaced.
Right back - Moritz Bauer or Tom Edwards
Bauer fits the bill for the type of player you would want from a right back in this system. He has the energy from an attacking perspective to cover the pitch and provide width and crosses.
Edwards I haven't seen much of. He seems to be described more as a defensive right back. This doesn't mean he couldn't grow into the role.
Left back - New player or Josh Tymon
Tymon is a player who has the potential to grow into the role of a general left sided player having a sound defensive base and a good range of passing.
But, sorry Luton fans, the man ideal for Jones' system is the man doing the job already for him at Luton. James Justin. He is thriving at left back or at right back. And this versatility is key as he could be perform the role well on either side if Tymon became the player it was hoped he would be when at Hull.
Centre back - Bruno Martins Indi and Ryan Shawcross
I think these two supplemented by some younger players will be sufficient for the moment. This may be me just remembering them being OK Premier League players but you can't replace every player at once.
Deep midfield - Ryan Woods (backed up by Imbula)
I don't know how Woods has settled into life at Stoke City but he was excellent for Brentford in a similar role with both the playmaking and defensive qualities to do well in this type of system.
Box to box role - Peter Etebo (backed up by Sam Clucas)
The box to box role is about supplying energy and ball carrying ability into the team. I liked the look of Etebo in the World Cup where he seemed to perform a similar role for Nigeria.
Clucas has suffered from people not knowing his best role, including me! He has played wide left and in more central roles and therefore I'm assuming he has the ability to perform a box to box midfield role.
Passer - Joe Allen (backed up with Badou Ndiaye)
Joe Allen doesn't have a natural place in this formation, but I think he and Woods are good enough passers to share the creative and defensive load between them and play those forward passes to our more forward thinking player.
Although something obviously went badly wrong with Ndiaye this season I have liked what I've seen of him as a player in the past. He is a good creative passer from midfield and has technical ability in attacking positions. If Jones can reintegrate him he could be a potent attacking threat in either this role or the number 10 slot.
Number 10 - New player or Tom Ince
Ince has the attributes to play this role. However he may be more suited to the roving forward role so I'll review him there.
In terms of alternatives, and looking through the team so far there is a general lack of pace and flair. The number 10 needs to be a dynamic player, capable of harrying the opposition but also having the quality to pick a pass.
I've previously picked out Alexis Claude Maurice of Lorient in France as being a really good target for an ambitious Championship club. He plays this role well and could probably interchange well with Ince. Likewise I liked the look of Manu Vallejo from Cadiz in the Spanish second division, however since I mentioned him he has signed a new 4 year contract with a £14m buy out clause. Not out of the question but more expensive than you would have paid if you followed my advice a month ago :)
However I feel Stoke City are more likely to look domestically for targets. Over the last few years they have tended to target experienced mid-aged players. A strategy that has back fired with the team becoming stodgy and, in football terms, old.
They could look for inbetweener players, ones too good for the U23 league, but not yet good enough for Premier League football. Clubs increasingly want to get these players into good development teams playing under progressive managers.
England has a rich seam of players looking for first team opportunities and Stoke has a gap in their squad for players from 17-25 years old. The North West has Everton, Liverpool and the two Manchester clubs all with huge squads full of talented young players looking for game time but close enough to home so they have support structures in place.
The types of players I am thinking of are Kieran Dowell or Tahith Chong for first team ready players, even younger players like Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes, Luke Bolton (and about 10 other City players) and Rhian Brewster could be options given the number of experienced players to surround them.
If we are looking for a player on the way up, and ownership is important, then perhaps Tom Bayliss of Coventy City could be the answer. He fits the profile of an attacking midfielder with a good all round game. I personally rate the other two recommendations higher but we shouldn't underestimate the impact of having a cohesive group, something Nathan Jones puts high value on. He will want a team of players in it for the long haul so a hungry player eager to step up may be better than ones who see Stoke City as a temporary stop or a juicy contract.
Roving forward - Tom Ince or new loanee player (like Mason Greenwood)
Tom Ince is a very high quality player at Championship level. He does his best work with managers who give him freedom to roam around. With his quality with either foot he would do well in this role where less defensive work is required of him than in the number 10 position.
Focal striker - Benik Afobe (backed up by Saido Berahino or youngsters like Rhian Brewster)
Afobe is a good Championship striker, he seems at his best running on to balls played ahead of him and I saw a fair few Luton goals where quick long passes released a striker so he will be OK for this role.
So a final line up of:
It looks solid, particularly in central midfield and defence. Looking at it now I think you are quite reliant on the attacking midfielder/10 for creativity. That may mean either Etebo or Allen having to be replaced by a more forward thinking midfielder.
Either way I think for a team adding only two players - a 19 year old fullback and a 20 year old attacker (though I've only put Maurice in at 10 because his skillset - ball carrying at pace, is probably more valuable to move Stoke City forward) it is a significant improvement over the current lineup.
Although I was still hoping they'd make a £15m offer to make the Cuco Martina signing official......there is still a chance isn't there?
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