Stoke City manager Narcis Pelach found both positives and frustrations in his team’s performance at the Stadium of Light. Despite being pleased with aspects of their play, Pelach was left disappointed by Tommy Watson’s winning goal, which came just moments after he had made tactical adjustments to strengthen his side.
After introducing an additional central defender, Sunderland capitalized on a counter attack, catching many of Stoke’s players high up the pitch as they pushed for a goal themselves. Pelach was also disappointed by his team’s defending following Lewis Koumas’ early lead.
Despite the result, Pelach was pleased with the effort shown by his players.
“I’m disappointed because we lost in the final moments to a deflected goal,” Pelach reflected.
“We had opportunities, but so did they. We had possession and chances to score, but it’s disappointing to concede just after taking the lead. We need to do better in those situations, especially in winning aerial duels. The goal we conceded was avoidable.”
Although frustrated with the outcome, Pelach acknowledged some positive signs in his team’s approach to deny Sunderland possession.
“We wanted to control the game with the ball, knowing that Sunderland are dangerous on the counter attack. Our strategy was to press high and force them to play out from the back. I was pleased with our efforts in this aspect,” Pelach explained.
Overall, despite the disappointment of the late defeat, Pelach saw elements of progress in his team’s performance and tactical execution.
