Stoke City’s under-the-radar deadline deal can make a big difference

A few little things stood out for me in Stoke City’s big win on Wednesday night, as well as just getting the result over the line.

Firstly, you saw Daniel Iversen’s goal-kicks, particularly in the second half, aimed towards the deep right wing where Stoke knew it was going and could crowd around to keep hold of the ball. There was no messing about as we had seen in previous weeks and, when you’re defending as far back as Stoke were as the game went on, it was important to get into the attacking half when you had the chance. It was a small tweak but an important part of a bigger plan.

Secondly, Stoke were – as the QPR manager Marti Cifuentes spoke about after the game – far more narrow and compact than they had been. Steven Schumacher went with eight players down the centre of the pitch: three at the back, Wouter Burger and Lewis Baker more or less sitting and Luke Cundle and Bae Junho with advanced roles to support Niall Ennis. It was making a statement. If you like a passing game, you’re not going to pass through the middle of us. Players stuck to it rigidly.