LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: Ben Chilwell of Chelsea looks on during the warm up prior to the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Chelsea and Barrow at Stamford Bridge on September 24, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Inside Narcis Pelach’s pre-Portsmouth press conference as Stoke City head coach sees off bouncers.
Narcis Pelach gave the clearest insight yet into his principles as head coach as he prepares Stoke City to take on Portsmouth.
Narcis Pelach had been granted a couple of weeks to get his eye in at Stoke City before he had to face his first proper bouncers.
Angela Smith, opening the bowing at the pre-Portsmouth press conference, threw down some straight, no nonsense questions in the aftermath of what was an eye-opening, tough afternoon at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
What are you going to change to win (tonight, 7.45pm)? Have you asked players to take on too much information? How can you make Stoke a better attacking force with so little time between games? Will you have to change your tactics? How do you feel the pressure as Stoke have lost three league games in a row? How are players responding to a very different approach?
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All valid questions, plus follow ups from Radio Stoke and ourselves, to provide 30-odd minutes of what was probably the clearest insight yet into the new head coach. Nothing ducked. There was pragmatism as well as idealism, with the chance to explain his thinking about items of potential contention such as too much passing at the back.
“That’s something that maybe goes a little against what Stoke has done in the past, no?” he said without condescension as he explained why he wants centre-backs to keep the ball but also what he wants to see next, which didn’t happen at the Riverside.
But for all the talk about style, the key repeated line was still the same as it had been post-match at the weekend. Stoke need to be far more aggressive, urgent and competitive both on and off the ball.
“We were not competitively strong enough in duels, in second balls, and that’s something you need to get right in every game in the Championship,” he said.
He added: “We have to be more aggressive in terms of the high press so we can be in the opponents’ half. That’s why I was disappointed after the game and I’ve been trying to solve it, to work on that, to make our players understand that we have to be aggressive.
“When we have the ball we need to go forward, we need to have to be much more positive, we need to have more runs in behind, we need balls into the box more quickly. It’s something that we didn’t do, we just prioritised ball possession and that was the beginning of the action but we didn’t break through, which is what we want.
“But at the beginning when you try to change the style of play these things happen and you need to balance it up. That’s where we are at the minute.”
All that, the fight and tenacity, is something that Portsmouth have shown so far this season as they try to get to grips with the Championship. No wins yet but they’ve scrapped out draws with Leeds, Sheffield United and Luton.
