Saturday evening witnessed many of the Championship’s big names heading out on the field and continued to build their solid base for the season. Two of the clubs that were battling for promotion spots were Stoke City and Derby County. They faced each other at the bet365 Stadium, looking to secure three points.
The home side were very excited when they appointed Nathan Jones to their managerial spot. But up to now, he still hasn’t lived up to the expectations of the fans. With a very tepid summer behind him, Stoke clearly wanted to improve their records and eventually aim for a playoff spot. A first win of the season would not only help the players improve their morale but also give them a head start.
Derby have wasted no time in finding a replacement for Frank Lampard in Phillip Cocu. The former PSV manager brought in a few names like Krystian Bielik or Graeme Shinnie alongside loanees such as Kieran Dowell and Matt Clarke to bolster the squad. They aimed to replicate what they have done last season and even better some might said. And continuing their unbeaten run up to now was what they wanted.
This tactical analysis will provide an analysis of the 2-2 draw between Stoke City and Derby County. Meanwhile, using statistics, we will point out what Stoke’s tactics and Derby’s tactics were missing and led to them missed out on two points.
Lineups
Jones lined his side up in a 4-1-2-1-2 formation that saw Jack Butland started in goal. Screening in front of the former England international was centre-backs Danny Batth and Liam Lindsay, with James McClean playing slightly off his original position on the left-hand side.
Joe Allen and Sam Clucas paired up as two central midfielders and they provided supports for Tom Ince. The former Luton manager chose his new strikers, Scott Hogan and Lee Gregory to lead the line in this match.
Kieran Dowell positioned himself in the middle of the attacking midfielder trio with Tom Lawrence and Florian Jozefzoon occupied the wide spaces. Upfront, Martyn Waghorn led the line while Jack Marriott and Jamie Paterson gave Cocu two potential options on the bench.
Stokes style of play
Lining up in a 4-1-2-1-2 formation showed Jones’ clear intention of replicating Luton’s winning tactics to Stoke City. The first noticeable tactical point was the players attempt to create a three-man build-up on the edge of the final third. When in possession, two centre-backs Batth and Lindsay usually moved a bit wider from their original positions. Ryan Woods, who played in the role of a half-back, dropped in between them and created a passing triangle to counter Derby’s pressure.
In Lindsay, Jo
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