Hughes demands improvement in Stoke defending

Stoke City used to be known for their defensive resilience but Mark Hughes admits that has been lost in the last 12 months as he challenges his side to stop shipping so many goals in 2017.

The Potters conceded four goals in a single match on eight occasions in 2016, with injuries denying Hughes a consistent back four.

Ryan Shawcross, Geoff Cameron, Glenn Johnson and Marc Muniesa have all spent time on the treatment table and Hughes has had to patch up his defence on several occasions.

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Heavy defeats at Liverpool and Chelsea were followed by a FA Cup third round loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers last week, creating a downbeat mood at the bet365 Stadium.

And Hughes wants to return to the ways of old in order to climb the Premier League table and enjoy a more promising start to 2017.

“It’s about making sure we’re nice and solid,” he said.

“We’ve been a little bit slow in terms of our defensive work and our application of our defensive work across the board with defending from the front and midfield areas.

“It’s not just the defensive backline that we’re talking about, its right across the board and the team as a whole.”