Worrying times for Mark Hughes and the Potters faithful
Stoke’s capitulation against the Foxes now means that they are winless after six matches, earning a measly three points in the process. Only the Potters and Sunderland are yet to register a win for the season, and the former have not had a better chance to do so than the one they let slip last night.
Much discussion surrounding Stoke so far this season has surrounded their high-profile acquisitions in Xerdan Shaqiri, Marco van Ginkel, Ibrahim Affelay and Glen Johnson and the style of play that these players will allow Hughes to employ. So far, however, the attractive philosophy has produced little result.
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The first half of last night’s contest looked as though things were starting to click for the Potters, clearly the better side, fully deserving their half time advantage. The second half was a completely different tale, failing to withstand Leicester’s late onslaught.
Implementation of such a playing style will understandably take time, however patience will soon start wearing thin amongst Stoke fans and the board if tangible results are not produced soon.
It could be argued that the biggest concern has not necessarily been the tactics, but their lack of mental application at times so far this season. Hughes could not have summed up their lack of concentration any better post match, telling the BBC: “We made a mistake on the penalty and at 2-1 we had to deal with their momentum. We then made a mistake for their second goal but maybe we were distracted by the foul on Jonathan Walters at the other end. We picked up a point but should have had three.”
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