Stoke better at the back
Stoke have diminished the bad defending and mistakes that affected their record earlier in the season. Nowadays, they do not make as many silly mistakes which usually would lose them a point or two. This comes with experience as Wollscheid is fairly new to the Premier League and Glen Johnson is still trying to work out tactics but they are both doing a fantastic job. It was not always like that, as Johnson would do well in attack but struggled in defence. The team has learned to work together in their defensive third and the experience of holding midfielder Glenn Whelan is also helping them. Five clean sheets away from home proves that everything is working now.
Is it too late?
Southampton seemed to have most of their chances in the first half, which could mean that the players were not properly ready for the game before it started. Saints manager Koeman needs to make sure his players are ready and pumped up before they get out onto the pitch. They may have only been in first gear in the first half, but they came out very strongly in the second and it looked like they were going to score. They were dominating Stoke in the second half but could not get a lot of their shots on target. However, Jack Butland did perform well to ensure Stoke had a win.
The number one number one?
Butland has recently been playing well for Stoke City and this has allowed him to get a call-up for England. The question is: could he become the England national team’s best goalkeeper? He is one of the best already but has Manchester City’s custodian Joe Hart in his way. If he stays in the sort of form he is in right now, anything is possible.
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