Steven Schumacher made ruthless decisions on players to get Stoke City into starting blocks
Stoke City legend Mike Pejic runs the the rule over Steven Schumacher’s squad building and the decisions on recruitment
You can tell that Stoke City’s transfer planning for this season began in earnest last January or February time as Steven Schumacher gave the squad a thorough MOT.
There were some players he could make quick decisions about. Dwight Gayle was let go after two sub appearances, Wesley barely got on the pitch after Christmas, Ciaran Clark didn’t get on at all. But on a larger scale he went through players in different systems and was putting ticks, crosses and question marks next to what he found
He was weighing up areas he needed to improve and strengthen, which players were already in the building that he could look to trust and develop, like Junior Tchamadeu, and departments where he needed fresh blood, particularly at centre-forward and in central midfield. There was a period of indifferent results that made things sticky but it was an important time for shaping thoughts about the long-term. “Him, him and him are not good enough, get rid.”
You can look back at certain games and the changes are startling. That 3-0 home defeat to Norwich in March that left us all so mad? Only two from the starting line-up – Ben Wilmot and Bae Junho – were in the team at Plymouth last weekend. Wilmot was the only one who started at Plymouth and the 1-0 home defeat to Coventry in February.
Schumacher has been backed to make those decisions and shape what has happened next, from releasing Tyrese Campbell to sanctioning the exits of Lewis Baker, Josh Laurent, Daniel Johnson and Ryan Mmaee, bringing in players in their wake to raise the standard.
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The recruitment drive has been really important to find exactly what you’re after. It’s not just a case of going out to buy someone just because they scored 15 goals last season, for example, because the team they played in might be different to the one they’re coming into. You need the right players to fill the right slots.
The squad looks pretty balanced and set up with the attributes more suited to the way that Schumacher wants to play. The transfer window is over so onto the next chapter and the hard work starting all over again on the training ground.
Do not underestimate this period. Pep Guardiola has the funds to bring in the best players for the roles he has in his team but that’s just the starting point. Players have to have the skill factor to do what you want them to do but they also have to understand it. I watched Chelsea-Crystal Palace last week and that second part was lacking. It was robotic. They had been drilled to do this, do this, do this and it just ended up back at the goalkeeper. The difference with a Guardiola team is that they are educated to make the right decisions within their structure.
He doesn’t just throw the best players into his team, he’s teaching and coaching them continuously. It’s like he’s directing a film and I can imagine him stopping everything in the middle of a session to hammer home exactly what he demands in that specific situation, then shouting, ‘Play!’ You can see him replaying a scene 100 times in a morning until everyone knows exactly what he means.
What you do next as a coach is give the team a bit of free play to make sure they’ve taken it on board. If they’ve got it, great, let them carry on. If not, stop it again. Some mornings must be longer than others.
