In the aftermath of defeat to Liverpool, is the end nigh for Mark Hughes?
Waking up this morning, I half expected the BBC Sport page to be showing the headline of Mark Hughes having been sacked by Stoke City.
It might not be the biggest headline of the weekend: Chelsea returning to their best, Spurs continuing their excellent form and Norwich destroying Reading are probably more worthy leading headlines. But there’s an air of uncertainty lingering over the Potteries like the smog of yesteryear.
No longer do Stoke fans mock nearest rivals Port Vale — they have their own worries in mind right now.
With four losses in a row, Mark Hughes’ tenure at the bet365 Stadium looks more uncertain than ever. Whereas just a couple of weeks ago, there was a definitive 50:50 split in the #HughesIn #HughesOut camps, the support has waned and the momentum is very much on Out’s side.
Firstly, let’s be honest about yesterday’s defeat to Liverpool.
Was it unexpected? No.
Liverpool are a team in ascendancy under Jurgen Klopp. Here is a manager who has been brought in to steady the ship and build long-term success — and it’s working.
I saw some fans mocking his inclusion of a number of youngsters in yesterday’s line up, but how else is Klopp to blood these stars-of-tomorrow? With game-changers on the bench, and knowing Stoke had little confidence, it was the ideal game for him to experiment a little and bring in some new faces.
Those game-changers ultimately proved the difference.
Despite falling behind to a Jonathan Walters effort, Liverpool turned the tables thanks to a change in tactics and personnel at half time. Stoke, not for the first time, failing to capitalise on their early domination with more goals and finishing the game early on.
The introduction of Coutinho and Firmino by Klopp was a masterstroke — but many Stoke fans are focusing on Hughes’ failings, instead.
For many, the substitution which saw midfield Glenn Whelan replace Jonathan Walters after 68 minutes was the turning point of the game — with visitors Liverpool bagging two goals within five minutes of the change being made.
On the surface, the assumptions are correct. But underneath..?
In the first 25-minutes of the second half, the Potters created just one chance — compared to Liverpool’s six. Liverpool also had nine shots, compared to Stoke’s two. The visitors were dominating the home team all over the pitch, in every conceivable statistical way possible.
They also knew that Walters was unlikely to last the full 90-minutes, due to his recent knee injury. The real workhorse of the team — something he often gets criticised for — was replaced on schedule.
With Hughes having to already have made on substitute in the first half following Joe Allen’s apparent hamstring strain, his bench options were limited.
Charlie Adam probably would have been his first choice — but he was already on the field for the aforementioned Allen. So, who else?
Ramadan Sobhi — the young Egyptian midfielder was one option; but he usually plays on the wing, and didn’t really fit the narrative for the direction the game was headed in at that moment in time. It would have been a strong, bold decision to bring on an attacking, pacy winger with flair at a time we were being over-ran in midfield.
Peter Crouch — usually only plays when looking for a hold-up play or needing flick-on headers for strikers to run onto. Unfortunately, the other forward on the pitch, Saido Berahino, has shown himself so far to be too similar to this style.
Marc Muniesa — the Spanish defender arrived with excitement. But like the rest of the Barcelona project, he has dropped out of favour. It’s absurd, really, given he gave a man-of-the-match performance mid-week during the loss to Burnley, but it’s not the first time a player performing well has been dropped. Muniesa also hasn’t been truly tested in a defensive midfield role, and not alongside Geoff Cameron. Would a game where we were under the cosh really be the ideal time to experiment?
Mame Biram Diouf — I’m still not sure what the Senegalese forward has to do to get some decent game time in his natural position. Either way, Hughes has converted him into a wing-back this season and, bizarrely, refuses to play him up front (if at all). Whilst he would have been a perfect replacement up front for Walters, Hughes’ actual substitution shows his belief was he needed to pack the midfield more, rather than look for outlets either on the wings or up front.
Leading to…
Glenn Whelan.
The midfielder has done little wrong since signing for the club for half a million nine years ago. It just happens that, at the age of 33, he hasn’t the fitness levels of eight years ago — in a Premier League that is seeing speed and stamina levels increasing each and every year.
And with no disrespect intended to Glenn, he’s not been given the opportunity to adjust his game to compensate for his shortcomings, certainly not in the manner fellow countryman Roy Keane or Patrick Viera were afforded towards the end of their careers.
So, maybe in some odd and twisted fateful way, yesterday’s result wasn’t entirely Hughes’ fault.
The team performed faultlessly in the first half and, had Xherdan Shaqiri not strayed offside after barely three minutes of the game, and the numerous other chances been taken in the first half, Stoke could have been three or four goals to the good at half time — and been on course for another 6–1 win. It’s happened before…
Ultimately, the person in charge of the squad next week, or next season, will be decided by the likes of Tony Scholes and Peter Coates. I’m sure those discussions take place regularly to ensure the longevity of the stay in the Premier League for the Potters.
And, of course, to ensure we continue to be the best team in the Potteries.
Vis Unita Fortior.
