Stoke draw blank at home to toothless Black Cats | Player Stats

Stoke and Sunderland played out a chilling 0-0 draw in an utterly uninspiring encounter at the Britannia Stadium. The draw was both sides sixth in the Premier League this season and was, in hindsight somewhat predictable.

The Potters certainly had the better of the chances, however a fine display from Black Cat’s keeper Simon Mignolet ensured that the game would remain goal-less even into the 98th minute.

Sunderland failed to muster a single attempt on target throughout the game which saw them stay bottom of the shots on target table with just 12 in 8 matches. 

Hardly a statistician’s best friend, however if you break the game down there are some interesting findings, which may be an indicator as to why there was so little to report:

Michael Kightly

The main source of industry from the hosts. At times he was isolated, with little else to do other than try to beat two or three defenders, before being forced to pass sideways or backwards:

The STATS in red show a team “Worst” and the green a team “Best”. The fact that only 16% of Kightly’s passes went forward, show what little option he had when in possession. Playing Peter Crouch in attack on his own limits the options going forward due to his lack of pace and mobility. Furthermore the fact he was forced to try and take on several defenders at once because of the lack of movement also contributes to his low dribbling accuracy and high amounts of lost possession. Having said that the former Wolves man did manage to fire in the most shots with four, as well as winning his side two free kicks and two corners, which as Stoke fans will appreciate can be a massive weapon.

Steven Nzonzi

Gained plaudits for his recent performances in a Stoke shirt and whilst this was not a stand out performance from the 6ft 4in Frenchman, he did put in a solid showing in the centre of the park:

Firstly Nzonzi was the most successful Stoke player in terms of passing, completing 52 accurate passes, more than double that of Charlie Adam. Additionally Nzonzi used possession effectively in his opponents half of the pitch and completed all twelve of his attempted passes in the final third, sadly to no avail. One area the ex-Blackburn midfielder failed in was in winning back possesion as he failed to successfully complete a tackle, whilst giving away two fouls in the process.

Jonathan Walters

There is a growing feeling amongst the Stoke City faithful that Walters should now be dropped from the starting eleven. His performance against Sunderland will have done nothing to contradict this:

With just 38 touches Walters touched the ball less times than any Stoke player minus Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth (of those  who had greater than or equal to the amount of minutes). Despite his low amount of time on the ball, Walters was dispossessed a team “Worst” five times, which highlights his impact on the game, or lack of. Although he is not a wide player Walters only managed one cross in his 72 minutes on the pitch, which was also unsuccessful. Moreover the fact Walters did not win a single tackle undermines the argument that some use to defend his inclusion. A pass forward percentage of 24% was second lowest only to that of Michael Kightly, which as discussed can largely be attributed to the lack of movement by the lone striker.

Parting shot? 

After looking at the stats above you can see why this match will not live long in the memory. Also there will be more fuel to add to the fire surrounding Jonathan Walters, as well as added substance to the viewpoint that Stoke should return to a 4-4-2 formation, with two wingers on their natural side, with two forwards to aim for.

Carrow Road is the destination this weekend and the Norwich back-line has looked exposed several times already this season. If I was Tony Pulis I would be targeting this away game for a chance to put some much needed points on the board.