Stoke (a) 20/08/2016 - pre-match thread

[mosssideblue]

whose our main worry on the stoke side

The officials :)

 

[gandhi]

Look on the bright side, city rarely lose at stoke, bar last years calamity. it's usually a draw

 

[Marvin]

Stoke are a very capable side on their day, and will play this as a Cup Final. They will see this as a great opportunity for them. A chance to beat Guardiola's City when we are just building up.

I'd be disappointed not to win, but a point would do. I think a lot of people in football will be expecting us to get beat at Stoke. It's not that they are that good, but that any Premiership team can raise themselves on the day, and away games in general are going to be difficult. Real madrid, Barcelona and Bayern steamroller teams home and away, but I really doubt they could do that in the Premier League

 

[csit17]

Leslie has said Shaqiri is a doubt, they may play long ball after all ;)

 

[The Richard Wright Fan Club]

It'll be interesting to see if Hughes goes with the likes of Bojan and Affley with a touch of false ninery thrown in or will he go with Walters out wide and Mama Diouf up front.

 

[MarsLlama]

Leslie has said Shaqiri is a doubt, they may play long ball after all ;)

Well, our chances just improved by quite a bit.

 

[The Richard Wright Fan Club]

Keep your eye out for an ex-United player, who hasn't scored in his professional career as he is bound to get one!!

Seriously though, if we play like we did last time, every fucking one of them! Shaqari and Arnoutavic on thier day can do a bit and also of Crouch is still there, could be a threat

Who is the ex rag who hasn't scored? I can only think of Bardsley, Diouf and Shawcross and I've seen them score before.
Crouch will be lucky to get on the bench.
It's somehow still a myth that Stoke play 4-4-1-1 and lump the ball in too the box.

 

[Blue Hefner]

Who is the ex rag who hasn't scored? I can only think of Bardsley, Diouf and Shawcross and I've seen them score before.
Crouch will be lucky to get on the bench.
It's somehow still a myth that Stoke play 4-4-1-1 and lump the ball in too the box.

That bit was very much tongue-in-cheek
As for their 'long ball', with Willy in net and us having a new centre back partnership, I can see it being a tactic of theirs

 

[Maldeika]

Stoke are a very capable side on their day, and will play this as a Cup Final. They will see this as a great opportunity for them. A chance to beat Guardiola's City when we are just building up.

I'd be disappointed not to win, but a point would do. I think a lot of people in football will be expecting us to get beat at Stoke. It's not that they are that good, but that any Premiership team can raise themselves on the day, and away games in general are going to be difficult. Real madrid, Barcelona and Bayern steamroller teams home and away, but I really doubt they could do that in the Premier League

Why shouldn't they? Aren't there big results in the EPL, too? Bayern played 7:1 against Roma and last season 5:1 against Dortmund, Wolfsburg and Arsenal - why shouldn't they be able to do that against a team like Stokes on the day. (Not every day...) Away or home if you are in a rush does not matter so much...

I do not think that away matches are so different in the EPL or in the other leagues. They are always more difficult because the teams fight longer and more intensively in front of the home crowd.

La Liga is somehow special because of the rules for the table. If their is two teams with the same number of points it is not the goal difference that counts but the direct duel. So if you cannot win or draw the match against the top teams it does not really matter if it is a 0:1 or a 0:10... You often see the teams fighting until they are one or two goals down and then they go down some more goals relatively quickly.

 

[Inter Me Nan]

Mentioning Bayern Munich on here is like a Batsign to Maldeika.