Three things we learnt from Middlesbrough’s 1-1 draw with Stoke City

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Stoke slow starters but Shaqiri back amongst the goals

This opening day draw made Stoke City winless in their last seven season-opening games in the Premier League, and also meant the club have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 11 Premier League fixtures. Shay Given, deputising the injured Jack Butland in goal, became the third oldest player to appear in the opening match-day of a Premier League season, but was powerless to stop Alvaro Negredo bundling the ball beyond him.

Regarding Butland, his training injury was revealed to be scar-tissue damage rather than anything more sinister, and Potters fans needn’t be concerned about another lengthy lay-off for their first-choice goalkeeper.

Xherdan Shaqiri’s exquisite free-kick was Stoke’s only shot on target, but critically it was enough to salvage a point. and deny Middlesbrough an opening day victory on their big return. His left-footed strike came off the upright with too much curl and power for former Barcelona shot-stopper Valdes to save, palming the ball onto the post and into the net. Though before his set-piece the Swiss had been quiet, with Bojan and Marko Arnautovic- stars in the Stoke side last season- anonymous and disappointing in attack.

The lack of activity in the transfer market also resonated on the pitch. Wales midfielder Joe Allen, their marquee summer signing, made an uneventful cameo in the final ten minutes of the game, whilst Egyptian winger Ramadan Sobhi, brought in from Al-Ahly, failed to make the matchday squad.

Attacking-wise, based on this showing there is some cause for concern if the attacking trio continue to misfire, though Stoke do start slowly by trend, and Potters everywhere can rest assured that their team will begin to improve as the season develops just as in years gone by. An opening day drip to a rocking Riverside against a team back in the big-time and determined to be dangerous to beat, is a creditable result. Stoke have set the benchmark for Middlesbrough given their established status in the Premier League, though now they must push on to sustain that status, or even to expand it in their quest for European football.

Featured Image: All Rights Reserved by Bob Jewers.