Team in focus: Stoke City - strengths, weaknesses & prospects

Sky Bet Championship
Stoke 1 QPR 2
Clucas 78 Hugill 8,
Eze 53

Stoke City v QPR match report

This was not a great encounter with three of the four shots on target ending in goals as Stoke's Sky Bet Championship campaign got off to the worst possible start.

QPR debutant Jordan Hugill was gifted Rangers' opener following a mistake by Jack Butland before Ebere Eze's wonderful body swerve helped him to put the finishing touch on a brilliant team goal to double the advantage.

Stoke pushed late on after Sam Clucas got them back into the game and Danny Batth should have punished a late error from QPR keeper Joe Lumley but headed wide of an open goal.

A draw would have been the fairest result.

Stoke City's tactics

Nathan Jones set Stoke up in a diamond formation but none of the players seemed to be in the right positions.

Former Rangers midfielder Jordan Cousins was uncomfortable at the base of the diamond, a position which may have suited the passing ability of Joe Allen. He had been stuck on the left and the left-footed Clucas was on the right.

Stoke City's strengths

When Stoke moved to a flat 4-4-2 or 4-2-4 they looked far more comfortable with Allen dictating play centrally and substitute Tom Ince giving width high on the right.

Fellow sub Lee Gregory offered more energy in his 22-minute cameo than starting strikers Sam Vokes and Benik Afobe.

Stoke City's weaknesses

Vokes had 17 touches and Afobe 18, so Stoke never got the service up to their front players, although playmaker Nick Powell was not helped by a total lack of movement from the forwards.

The diamond formation worked wonders for Jones at Luton, but it looks a lot rougher at the bet365 Stadium and their possession play was too slow in midfield.

Stoke City's goalscorer bets

If Jones can take any positives they came in the final 20 minutes with the introduction of Gregory and Ince.

Both looked lively and could well make an impact if given the chance to shine from the start. Gregory must surely come in for Afobe, who was jeered off the pitch after his latest lethargic performance.

Stoke City's view from the manager

Jones said: "We played with no real tempo. We didn't look like a home side that wanted to go after the opposition. In the last 30 minutes when we changed the shape I thought we were excellent and should have got something out of the game."

Stoke City's prospects

Jones said he had one aim for Stoke this season and that was promotion, however, City looked a long way off that kind of form in this defeat.

It's only one game and it would be unfair to make rash judgements so early in the season but Stoke have won just three league matches since Christmas and there is a clear nervousness about the place which makes for uncomfortable viewing.

On this basis it does not look as if Stoke have improved since last season's 16th-place finish, leaving Jones with plenty to ponder.

How did QPR play?

New Hoops boss Mark Warburton went with a 4-2-3-1 formation and, boosted by the early goal, they were able to take the sting out of the match. They looked better than potential relegation candidates.

Luke Amos is tidy in midfield alongside the robust Geoff Cameron and Eze's easy-on-the-eye performance was the latest indication that he could eventually move up to the Premier League.

Teams

Stoke 4-1-2-1-2: Butland; Smith, Collins, Batth, McClean; Cousins; Clucas, Allen; Powell (Gregory 68); Afobe (Ince 71), Vokes (Campbell 68).

QPR 4-2-3-1: Lumley; Rangel, Hall, Barbet, Manning; Cameron, Amos (Pugh 68); Osayi-Samuel (Shodipo 72), Scowen, Eze; Hugill (Leistner 81).

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