Stoke City: Top 3 takeaways against QPR

Stoke City: Top 3 takeaways against QPR

Stoke and QPR battled to a 0-0 draw on Tuesday as the Potters moved into 7th place, but are still winless in their last 3, their longest drought of the season. On the bright side for Stoke, it is yet another clean sheet, tying them for most in the Championship this season.

QPR had early pressure and were unlucky not to score in the 13′ on a low cross from Ilias Chair. Chair. Stoke looked the better team in the second half and had a few clear chances on goal, notably efforts from Tymon and Powell, but neither could capitalize. Overall, a draw was a fair result for a relatively even match. Player of the match was surely Ilias Chair. He was everywhere for QPR, and was the source for most of their attacking play.

3 Takeaways

1 – Tom Ince 

Tom Ince takes a lot of heat from Stoke fans, and most of it is warranted since he has failed to live up to expectations after a 12.32m move to Stoke in the summer 2018 window. All that being said, he deserves credit for his performance on Tuesday. Ince was lively on the ball, seemed to be able to get crosses through at will, and was without a doubt Stoke’s most dangerous option going forward. On the day, he led the team in crosses with 7, drew 2 fouls, and had two shots though neither were on target.

Despite not seeing a start since September, this effort from Ince should be encouraging to Stoke fans. Tyrese Campbell going down for the rest of the season was a huge blow for Stoke’s attacking play –  having a player step in at the same position and perform the way Tom Ince did on Wednesday should give fans some hope that Stoke still have a chance at earning a playoff position this season.

2 – Stoke’s Defense 

Stoke’s defense this season has been phenomenal. The unit of Collins/Chester/Souttar/Fox have played with such confidence lately that even under pressure Stoke never seem to scramble. What makes this even more impressive is that Stoke are doing it with young players like Collins and Souttar who are just now seeing extended runs of playing time in the Championship.

Outside of the back line, Jordan Cousins deserves a huge amount of credit stepping in for John Obi Mikel in a defensive midfield role. He’s made Mikel’s loss much easier to deal with and I think actually has earned more playing time even when Mikel returns, especially when Stoke are looking to hold leads. He’s been a an instrumental player in Stoke’s recent run of defensive form and deserves praise.

3 – Bursik

I can’t say enough about Bursik. He has just been so unbelievably solid lately and has made the most of his starting role in the Championship. On a number of plays on Wednesday Bursik showed the confidence needed to punch balls away or make key clearances. In addition to this, he’s shown confidence to catch and hold balls instead of deflecting out of play. One play of note in the 69′ minute Bursik did just this – made the save and held the ball, no rebound and no corner. The future is bright for Stoke and for Bursik.