Stoke City’s Monthly Forecast: November’s fixtures and predictions
By Jack Dudley
October was a good month for Stoke City fans. Three wins, two goals conceded, one changed team. Let’s have a look at what November may bring.
The contrast in the mood at Stoke City from the end of September to the end of October couldn’t have been stronger.
Mark Hughes was fearing for his job, fans were growing restless and Stoke City couldn’t buy a win.
Eight goals and two clean sheets later, things are looking up all of a sudden.
International break splits November up
September was a full, albeit manageable month for the majority of clubs. Four weekends, four matches. Those still involved in the EFL Cup of course had one extra match.
November, meanwhile, contains a certain stoppage that seems to increasingly frustrate fans all over the league. Yep, you guessed it – the international break.
Perhaps England’s constant failure and letting down of the fans has something to do with it. I’m not pointing any fingers, but fans are becoming less and less interested when the national side(s) feature.
Let’s get to November…
Mixed bag of fixtures await the Potters
With respect to the teams that Stoke City faced in October, Manchester United aside, fans would have seen three winnable games.
After taking a point at Old Trafford to begin the month, Stoke won the next three…against the current bottom three sides.
A win is a win, no matter the opposition, but it’s safe to say Stoke will face sterner tests.
Hughes will take his men to face West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday, 5 November. A home tie with Bournemouth then follows the international break on Saturday, 19 November.
Stoke will finish the month away to Watford on Sunday, 27 November.
On first look, it’s arguable that the Potters should be aiming to claim seven points out of those nine, if current form is anything to go by.
The trip to West Ham on Saturday appears to be the biggest hurdle as things stand. The Hammers have had a rollercoaster start to the season both on and off the field.
A relatively solid October though, seems to have steadied the ship. Unbeaten at home last month, Slaven Bilic appears to have his players back under his spell.
Stoke City shorthanded up top
For this Saturday, at least, Stoke will be a man or two light up front.
Marko Arnautovic will sit his one-game ban after picking up his fifth booking of the season in the win over Swansea.
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Xherdan Shaqiri, meanwhile, picked up a knock in the first-half against the Welsh club and was forced off early.
Joe Allen and Wilfried Bony will no doubt be called upon to carry the extra workload, as Hughes may well hand a start to Ramadan Sobhi after he impressed on Monday night, replacing Shaqiri.
While Arnautovic will be back after the international break, the verdict on the health of Shaqiri will have to be determined in due course.
Writer’s verdict
The game on Saturday is of course going to set the tone for the rest of the month. The international break can either be a curse or blessing for managers, depending on form and recent results.
Were Stoke City to make it four wins on the spin, then a stoppage in domestic proceedings will be rather unwelcome. A defeat, however, may make all the hard work of October quickly seem a distant memory.
I personally don’t think the break will affect Stoke too much either way.
As for the games themselves, a point at West Ham would be a good result given the suspected absences.
A home clash with Bournemouth won’t be simple, one that Stoke can’t take lightly. A ‘should’ win, though, if a fully-fit squad is back at Hughes’ disposal.
Next: Stoke clip wings of struggling Swans
The away game at Watford could be a tight one. The Hornets have climbed up to seventh in the table, and no one has noticed. They’ve gone about their business quietly and have had a solid start.
Watford kept three clean sheets in October, but I would expect a narrow, narrow Stoke win at Vicarage Road.
Overall, if Stoke can come out of November with another seven points, then I don’t think there’ll be too many dissatisfied customers as we head into Christmas.