There are very few teams that Arsenal can’t beat on their day. But one of them is Stoke. On pretty much any day. So for that reason alone, I like Stoke. Not the place; I’ve been there, its horrible. But the football team. Mark Hughes’ boys. Stoke City FC.

They’ve always been seen as a sluggish team of thugs, louts and overly physical leg-breakers. And quite often this view has been pretty much spot on. Its what they were. Particularly under Pulis. When, one sunny afternoon, Ryan Shawcross did in fact break Aaron Ramsey’s leg. It was a fair tackle. For Stoke. Anywhere else it was common assault.

The defining Stoke players, for me, other than Shawcross, were (both have left now) Robert Huth and Charlie Adam. Both good, solid players, both born without the filter that helps with certain decisions of a physical nature. Both prepared to do anything to get to the ball first, or ensure that if they don’t, the person who does ain’t goin’ nowhere with it. Both great exponents of the backarm smash. Like the old forearm smash in wrestling, but done with the leading arm going backwards; away from the referee. Into the head, chest, groin of the man they’re marking.

And Arsenal, who always favour fast, light, agile players, could never answer Stoke’s brutal physicality. So instead they moaned (well; Wenger moaned) that ‘this is not football; its more like rugby’ on one instance.

But Under Sparky Stoke have not so much changed as evolved. A little. Though still closer to Neanderthals than Homo Sapiens on many levels, the manager has introduced players who are actually footballers rather than cage fighters. Just a few. A scattering.

But its enough. They now play football. And they play it well. With Bojan, the ex-Barcelona player running midfield and the threatening Arnautovich up front, Stoke now play a faster game, more of a passing game, more of… an Arsenal game.

So yesterday’s meeting of the two was not the usual man versus beast struggle, the pretty little Luke Skywalkers against the might of the Stormtroopers; no this was two teams with converging styles. With Stoke inevitably a bit stronger, a bit slower, a bit more violent. And for a nil-nil draw, it was good to watch. Best of all was the feeling that Arsenal remained throughout the entire match, rather uncomfortable.

Shame Man United beat Liverpool and closed the gap on Spurs, but that’s life.

Happy Monday

A xxxx