By admin 
When Stoke City secured their first victory under Narcis Pelach on Wednesday night, they could be summed up in two words: outstanding.
It was swift, strong, amusing, and purposeful right from the start. Everything was flowing and there was a forward-thinking, forward-playing mentality. The strategy was excellent. It was an amazing play. It was one, two, and three-touch play and aggressive forward thinking that created momentum rather than making 790 passes from the back. Fans want to see everyone singing from the same hymn sheet. If the action is forward, we don’t need to see an excessive number of passes, and that’s exactly what happened without hesitation.
The crowd is excited by the turns, runs, and dribbles that they see, and players love playing in this manner as well. From the first to the last whistle of the first half, we tore through Portsmouth. Before we even scored in the thirteenth minute, we had nine shots, and we had a second when Sam Gallagher was incorrectly given an offside call. Individual players were bossing their areas, whether it was defending or attacking.
A terrifying twenty or so seconds followed the goal’s disqualification. Although we had an attacking free-kick, there was no backup plan in case we lost control. It was a crucial lesson to learn that a counterattack should always be prepared for. Josh Murphy was effectively covered by Lewis Koumas as he tracked back and applied pressure, but Enda Stevens’ defense was woeful. He needed to force him wide if he wasn’t going to dive in and win the ball. It would have been expensive on other nights, but we were suddenly level after dominating.
but, not this one. I often discuss how units were operating and how, as a result of everyone looking forward, relationships began to emerge. The team appeared to be well-balanced. It is especially important to highlight Koumas and Bae Junho’s work rate in the large areas. On one end, Koumas’ aggressive running style and upbeat movement truly stretched the opposition, while on the other, Junho’s dribbling and control did the same.
This aided players like Tom Cannon, who was able to run in behind and pull off a short play. This led to the development of a double act, as we saw Cannon released and connect with Gallagher as well as witness the best of Wouter Burger’s passing in the offensive half.
Not only was there a strike partnership, but Gallagher also made connections with Burger and Andrew Moran.
It was enjoyable to watch and at times very good. When we displayed the finest of those six players, Portsmouth was unable to manage us. Everybody was utilizing their individual strengths.
When you have possession with purpose, these are your guiding principles: having quick and inventive players who exploited space, passed the ball well, moved the ball, and provided assistance. They created the confidence, so it was present.
Portsmouth simply didn’t know how to respond to it.
We were playing to the strengths of our players, which is why there has been a noticeable improvement from Saturday’s match against Middlesbrough. With all the components required from midfield to the offensive third, the team was well-balanced.
Our back four’s primary goal was to win the ball, which they accomplished with the exception of Stevens during the counterattack. We were also able to maintain pressure in the attacking half and retain the ball up the other end thanks to the forward momentum. The defense’s only purpose was to clean up. Stevens and Ben Wilmot supported Junho and Koumas, which is good. Players are in place to regain. The understanding was there.
If this can continue, you gradually obtain three units functioning together as a team.
The next action is to make it playable for the duration of the game.
With the same purpose and intellect, we began the second half.
Eight minutes after the half, I had nothing for Portsmouth on the tiny sheet I keep while commentating for Radio Stoke, but I had stat after stat for Stoke. Subs then began to show up. For Portsmouth, I added an exclamation point because I hadn’t heard anything from them until the final few minutes, but for Stoke, I had to put a big question mark because I hadn’t heard anything in the final 37 minutes. I just wrote, “Why?”
Football requires ruthlessness. During those last moments, the passing was bad, moving sideways and backwards, and none of the substitutes who entered the game made a difference. The sub’s intention is to make a good impact, but the game ended. Did the players or the coach say that? Those sent on weren’t exactly forcing their way into the coach’s head, but I believe we got an idea early on about how the coach wants to play. Cannon was encouraging them to play ahead by flailing his arms. As a substitute, you must demonstrate your ability to work with that team and maintain or increase the momentum.
However, I’m uncomfortable. This was really good. Every player, all around. delightful to observe. Along with the staff, I’m sure the chairman and sporting director were relieved, and I know you will have appreciated it just as much as I did. Bravo to them. Though that’s just the beginning, it seems quite promising. When Stoke City secured their first victory under Narcis Pelach on Wednesday night, they could be summed up in two words: outstanding.
It was purposeful possession from the beginning, swift, powerful, and entertaining. Everything was flowing and there was a forward-thinking, forward-playing mentality. The strategy was excellent. It was an amazing play. Making 790 passes from the back wasn’t the key; instead, it was one-, two-, and three-touch play coupled with aggressive forward thinking that created momentum. Fans want to see everyone singing from the same hymn sheet. If the action is forward, we don’t need to witness an excessive number of passes, and that’s exactly what happened.
The crowd is excited by the turns, runs, and dribbles that they see, and players love playing in this manner as well. From the opening whistle to the last of the first half, we tore through Portsmouth. Before we even scored in the thirteenth minute, we had nine shots, and Sam Gallagher’s incorrect offside call should have given us another. Every player was in control of their domain, whether they were assaulting or defending.
A terrifying twenty or so seconds followed the goal’s disqualification. Although we had an attacking free-kick, there was no backup plan in case we lost control. It was a crucial lesson to learn that a counterattack should always be prepared for. Enda Stevens’ defending was subpar, but Lewis Koumas did a fantastic job of tracking back and applying pressure to Josh Murphy during the break. He needed to force him wide if he wasn’t going to dive in and win the ball. We were level suddenly after dominating, and it would have been expensive on other nights.
but, not this one. As I usually discuss, collaborations began to emerge as a result of everyone’s forward-thinking attitude. The team appeared to be well-balanced. It is important to highlight Koumas and Bae Junho’s work rate in the large areas. On one end, Koumas’ aggressive running style and upbeat movement truly stretched the opposition, while on the other, Junho’s dribbling and control did the same.
This aided players like Tom Cannon, who made runs in behind and Sam Gallagher, who made short passes. This led to the development of the double act; Cannon was then unleashed and connected with Gallagher, and we witnessed the best of Wouter Burger’s passing in the attacking half.
Not only was there a strike partnership, but Gallagher also made connections with Burger and Andrew Moran. It was enjoyable to see and at times very good. Portsmouth was ill-prepared to deal with us after we showed them their best of those six players. Everybody was using their advantages.
When you have possession with purpose, these are your guiding principles: having quick and inventive players who exploited and created space; passing; movement; and support. They created the confidence, so it was present. Portsmouth simply didn’t know how to respond to it.
We were playing to the strength of our players, which is why there has been a noticeable improvement from Saturday’s match against Middlesbrough. With all the components required from midfield to the offensive third, the team was well-balanced.
Our back four’s primary goal was to win the ball, which they accomplished with the exception of Stevens during the counterattack. We were also able to maintain pressure in the attacking half and move the ball up the other end thanks to the forward momentum. The defense’s only purpose was to clean up. It’s nice that Stevens and Ben Wilmot backed Junho and Koumas. The purpose of players is to recover. There was an understanding.
If this keeps up, three units will eventually begin to function as a cohesive one. The next action is to make it playable for the duration of the game. With the same purpose and intellect, we began the second half.
I had nothing for Portsmouth on the tiny sheet I keep while commentating for Radio Stoke, and I had stat after stat for Stoke when the sixth went in eight minutes after the interval. Subs then began to show up. For Portsmouth, I put an exclamation point because I hadn’t heard anything from them until the final few minutes, but for Stoke, I had to put a big question mark because there hadn’t been anything to report in the final 37 minutes. I just wrote, “Why?”
Football requires ruthlessness. During those last few minutes, the passing was bad, traveling sideways and backwards, and none of the substitutes who entered the game made a difference. The purpose of the sub is to have a good influence but instead the game died. Did the players or the coach say that? Those sent on weren’t exactly forcing their way into the coach’s head, but I believe we got an idea early on about how the coach wants to play. Cannon was encouraging them to play ahead by flailing his arms. As a substitute, you must demonstrate your ability to work with that team and maintain or increase the momentum.
But I’m getting off topic. This was really good. Every player, all around. delightful to observe. Along with the staff, I’m sure the chairman and sporting director were relieved, and I know you will have appreciated it just as much as I did. Bravo to them. Though that’s just the beginning, it seems quite promising.