2 hours ago
Full-backs, it turns out, are quite important.
Stoke City have looked like a different team going forward since the return to fitness of two of their natural full-backs, Eric Bocat and Junior Tchamadeu.
Bocat regularly inverts high up the pitch, almost playing as a number eight while still providing width and defensive cover on the left. This approach helped Stoke break down Oxford a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, Tchamadeu has immediately resumed his role as one of the league's most dynamic and threatening right-backs since returning from an injury sustained at AFCON with Cameroon.
Both players performed well again against Watford, with Stoke carefully managing their fitness to avoid overuse after injury.
Aaron Cresswell, the club's other senior left-back, remains sidelined, and at right-back, the gap left by Tchamadeu was never effectively filled by a series of centre-backs playing out of position.
Maksym Talovierov struggled with comfort on the ball, Ben Wilmot lacked the athleticism to overlap with the same intensity, and Bosun Lawal suffered two injuries attempting to replicate Tchamadeu's ability to cover the touchline.
At times, Ben Gibson, another centre-back, had to play left-back, leaving Stoke without real dynamism from full-backs on either side, which in turn affected their wide forwards.
All these players did their best to fill in as square pegs in round holes and deserve credit, but the return of Tchamadeu in particular has restored much-needed balance to Stoke.
The Potters' injury crisis has impacted every area of the pitch, but after the win against Watford, Million Manhoef spoke candidly about the additional options he has on the ball and the increased threat he can provide from the right wing when he knows Tchamadeu is in the team and will overlap or underlap enthusiastically.
Balance, variety, and athleticism were all missing as Stoke slipped down the table around the new year, but six goals in their last two games suggest much of that is back.
