Stoke City legend Mike Pejic reviews bringing in Viktor Johansson as the first signing of the summer, a contract extension for Enda Stevens and the development of Sol Sidibe
A number one goalkeeper of our own was my top priority for Stoke City this summer so it’s a good box to tick off before we’ve even watched the FA Cup final. Welcome to Viktor Johansson and let’s hope he proves to be a fixture on the teamsheet for a long time to come.
What a state of affairs it has been to go through a season without your own keeper. I’ve always grumbled on these pages about the loan system but the spine of the team in particular should be made up of your own players. You need players you can truly rely on in those key positions because when any part is missing, it’s like your own body, you don’t function like you should and there’s an imbalance.
We knew the dangers of loan players being recalled, which happened, and loan players taking time to get up to top speed because they won’t have been playing much. It jolts your season.
A keeper has to have an intrinsic understanding with the players in front of him, working together in defending and starting attacking plays. That has to be a base level that you don’t even question as the season goes on, it has to be set in stone. You have to have a back-up ready too who can step in when is needed. You have to be solid.
It was interesting to read the first interviews with Johansson and I hope he can dominate his area like he is setting his stall out to do. It will all come down to his positional sense, his footwork and his distancing. Every yard is important in his own area and he has to be 100 per cent in charge.
He will work with his defence but he will have to lead it, be in control of whether to push out, hold or drop. He’ll constantly be working, bawling, shouting and instructing and never satisfied. That’s what you want to see and hear from your keeper.
I smiled when he referred to himself as ‘not the biggest’. He’s 6ft 1in so a little bit taller than Gordon Banks and no one would ever have questioned Banksy’s size. He was agile. Well, he had everything in the book. He wouldn’t even have to bother with half the stuff because he knew if it was going wide or over. He had that ability to know what was going to happen before anyone else.
But we’re talking about the world’s greatest ever here and what a privilege it was to be on the same pitch with him and even train with him. It’s the highlight of your life and you learned a lot from him. He gave you such a lot of confidence that if somebody got past you, he’d be there. That’s what you want from a keeper.
I’m not expecting us to ever find another Banksy but I do hope that Johansson can develop an understanding with his defence through all the work they do together on the training pitch as well as playing consistently together in matches. It’s imperative you have that, building expectations and knowing each other’s expectations.
The work you do together as a defence and keeper has to be second nature and that’s a lot easier if you’ve working with the same people rather than changing every half-a-season.
Talking about defenders, Enda Stevens has extended his contract for another year. He was clearly an important player for Stoke when he was fit and available but he has had more than his fair share of injuries to get over during the last couple of seasons. As you get older it gets even more important how you look after your body and best of luck to him trying to play as much as possible.
I hope that Stoke will eye up cover of a similar ability but at the other end of their career, a left-footed younger player who can come in and eventually prove they are ready to take over as number one in that position. They can get a taste for it this year and stake their claim to be the main man going forward. Left-back, as we all know, has been a bit of a problem for Stoke in recent years.
Jordan Thompson deputised through the winter but that has a knock-on effect, in part because it means you have to shift around in midfield too. Lynden Gooch has filled in but he’s predominantly right footed.
We saw the importance of balance in those last few games. Stevens could link in with Bae Junho and, with Stevens’s left foot, together they could force play down the line when needed. You have to be able to work in tandem defensively too, stopping traditional or inverted wingers. You have to be able to block the ball coming inside whether it’s from a cross or being dribbled and you do that by working cohesively as a unit.
It’s the same in midfield. You have to have the right balance, different types who can do the same job when required. If you need three sitting in there at a certain time, they have to all be able to do it. If you need two who can push forward, likewise. It’s open for debate about what the exact needs are and when but the bottom line is that it is what and when the coach wants.
I’ll be interested to see the progress of Sol Sidibe in there. Age doesn’t matter, ability does and he’ll be looking to develop maturity in certain situations and matches. It’s giving a young player minutes and occasions, testing them out and challenging them. How long it takes is up to the player and the coach but you have to have players coming through to challenge the starters. That’s what makes a healthy squad. The door has to be open.