With Stoke and West Ham each suffering poor runs of form Saturday's 0-0 draw was probably a fair result and neither manager will have turned their noses up at a point apiece. The Potters seemed to have the best of the first half but without any real penetration, with Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri struggling to find a final ball from the flanks.
West Ham had the more meaningful attempts on goal but found their path blocked by the excellent Jack Butland, who put on quite a show for the watching England manager Gareth Southgate. It could well have been a different story had Jonathan Calleri not decided to try and score with a "Rabona" but the one-time Stoke target thankfully fancied himself and his miss ensured the home side left the pitch with at least one point.
Positives
The manager switching to his tried and trusted 4-2-3-1 formation and finally dropping the disappointing Erik Pieters.
Negatives
The players continue to look predictable and toothless and the lack of ability in midfield to link up with the attack means that is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Manager rating out of 10
6 -- Mark Hughes changed back to his preferred shape and rightly dropped Pieters in favour of Marc Muniesa. He undid that good work, though, by again turning to the unimaginative duo of Charlie Adam and Peter Crouch from the bench in an attempt to score.
Player ratings (1-10; 10=best; players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating):
GK Jack Butland, 8 -- Back to his best in front of the England manager with a series of impressive saves to protect the side's point and his first clean sheet of the season.
DF Glen Johnson, 7 -- Got forward well but hampered by the absence of Shaqiri; who often drifted in-field. Was unlucky with one particular delivery having ghosted past Aaron Cresswell courtesy of some neat footwork on the by-line.
DF Ryan Shawcross, 8 -- Recovered from two poor errors in judgement early on to play an important role in the centre of defence with several crucial blocks and clearances. Stepped out of defence well in possession to get his side upfield.
DF Bruno Martins Indi, 8 -- Seemed to consistently find himself in the perfect position to bail out his teammates with at least two vital interventions to keep the clean sheet.
DF Marc Muniesa, 6 -- Arguably one of the most comfortable with the ball at his feet but his positional sense was poor. Caught out several times having wandered forward and was walking a disciplinary tightrope having picked up an early booking.
MF Xherdan Shaqiri, 7 -- A far more dangerous prospect through the middle and produced the pass of the day to Arnautovic, who sadly couldn't do it justice with a scoring finish. On the flip side, his insistence to try and "win" decisions was annoying and could well have cost his side on more than one occasion.
MF Geoff Cameron, 7 -- A valuable asset in front of the back four who fared well in the air up to the halfway-line but not so much beyond it. His distribution was ok but should perhaps have taken more ownership in the battle to stifle a dangerous Manuel Lanzini.
MF Glenn Whelan, 7 -- A surprisingly positive showing from the Irishman who threw caution to the wind with several risky forward passes. However, his lack of mobility off the ball was evident as Lanzini and Cheikhou Kouyate dominated the middle third.
MF Marko Arnautovic, 7 -- Despite struggling to find colleagues where it mattered in the penalty area he played some impressive passes up to that point to create openings for others to try and exploit. Struggled to beat his man all afternoon and ended the game without completing a single successful dribble.
MF Joe Allen, 6 -- Got into some good positions to score but fluffed his lines when the opportunities arose. Seemingly enjoyed the freedom of the pitch but didn't manage to win any headers or tackles before being subbed off.
FW Saido Berahino, 7 -- Found his efforts blocked by the Hammers' sturdy backline as he edged ever-closer to opening his account for the club. Had one decent shot on target having initially looked like he was too wide to work the goalkeeper.
Substitutes
MF Charlie Adam, N/R -- A few nice balls forward into space but little in the way of meaningful delivery or defensive impact.
FW Peter Crouch, 6 -- Won a handful of headers in the penalty area but it was to little avail with no-one around to pick up the second ball.
James Whittaker is ESPN FC's Stoke blogger. Follow him on Twitter: @northstokie
[ad_2]
Source link http://www.seamless-flow.cf/toothless-stoke-held-at-home-as-jack-butland-keeps-out-west-ham/
0 commentaires :
Enregistrer un commentaire