Three things we learnt as Tottenham demolished Stoke at White Hart Lane

Add as preferred source on Google

Sorry Stoke show no fight

Prior to Sunday’s fixture Mark Hughes had flown his Stoke City team out to the Middle East for a five-day warm-weather training camp in Dubai. However, The Potters appeared completely devoid of sharpness, fitness, quality and a clear game plan at White Hart Lane and were ruthlessly demolished by a Tottenham side that did not have to get out of second gear. Their weaknesses were laid bare for all to see.

Stoke were poor and offered very little resistance. The aging central midfield pairing of Charlie Adam and Glenn Whelan had no answer to the youth and dynamism of Tottenham’s Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Moussa Dembele and Eric Dier and it was little surprise to see them both removed before the end of the contest. Ryan Shawcross and Bruno Martins-Indi were continuously pulled out of position and made basic errors whilst the attacking quartet of Peter Crouch, Ramadam Sobhi, Marko Arnautovic and Joe Allen were completely ineffective. In fact, the only Stoke player to come away with any credit was goalkeeper Lee Grant despite conceding four goals.

The Potters are currently eleven points clear of the relegation zone and are in no danger of being drawn into the bottom three. However, Stoke supporters will be hoping that their season does not now start to peter out despite having little to play for – performances like this are far from acceptable considering their achievements of the previous three seasons.