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The Potters have continued in their inconsistent start to the season and are yet to find their best form so far. In the five Premier League matches played in October and November, they won twice, lost twice and drew once, not forgetting their Capital One Cup misfortune at home to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/category/southampton/">Southampton</a>. The mixed results have seen Stoke go up and down the table, but they are perched in 9th place at the moment.
Best starting XI
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Best performer
Victor Moses. The on-loan Chelsea winger has continued to register good displays for his side in almost every single match. His direct pace and dribbling ability – only bettered by Eden Hazard – makes him a constant threat and fun to watch. Always looking to wreak havoc on the opposition, Moses will be key to his team’s fortunes this season. The rumor is that Stoke are keen to secure a permanent deal in January.
Most improved player
Bojan Kirkic. The 24-year-old Spaniard has endured a disappointing start to the season but he has shown signs of a renaissance in recent matches, especially against West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur where he put in man of the match performances. With the striker scoring his first Premier League goal at Spurs last Sunday, the expectation is that he can only get better in the coming weeks. Jon Walters also deserves a special mention after a massive improvement from him in the past few games.
Injury news
Mark Hughes’ side remain handicapped with several players on the treatment table. Peter Odemwingie is the major casualty and he will be out for an estimated seven months after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in September. Other casualties include Robert Huth, Glen Whelan, Phil Bardsley, Marc Wilson and D Teixeira all of whom are expected to have returned to action by the end of the month.&nbsp;
Managerial progress&nbsp;
Hughes has not done a lot wrong so far this season and I think he’s still the right man to lead the team to prosper, despite a not-so-convincing start to their 2014-15 campaign. He just needs to get his side to finding that consistency going forward, but that remains to be seen especially with games against <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/category/liverpool/">Liverpool</a>, Arsenal and Manchester United on the horizon.
Weakness
Set-pieces. I mentioned this in my August-September report and apparently, nothing has changed since then. The Potters are the only team yet to score a league goal via a set-piece which shows how much the team has evolved since Mark Hughes came on the scene last year. Maybe they ought to get someone like Roy Delap in January.
January Transfer window needs
Stoke already have a fairly decent squad, especially going forward, so I see no reason to plunge into the January transfer market except if there’s another long-term injury.
Overall Team Rating (out of 5 stars):&nbsp;2.5/5.
It’s been a decent season thus far for Stoke, who many would consider a top half team nowadays. With attacking talent on display and that typically resilient defense they should be aiming for yet another highly credible top 10 finish.

Read Our Progress Report on Stoke City's Performances for October-November

Read Our Progress Report on Stoke City's Performances for October-November - World Soccer Talk

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As Brazil continues to host the Confederations Cup, Premier League teams will have a number of their scouts in the country searching for new players to sign, while also keeping an eye on their own players. Ten years ago, there were hardly any Brazilians and Spaniards in the Premier League, but nowadays almost every team in the top four has at least a Spaniard in their ranks.
The hosts have called up the Chelsea duo of Oscar and David Luiz, but Big Phil has surprisingly omitted Ramires. Another player that should have been included based on his performances this year is Manchester United’s right back, Rafael. The young Brazilian has improved by leaps and bounds compared to his previous seasons and would be quite annoyed at his exclusion. Although relegated, QPR’s Julio Cesar made the final cut and is Brazil’s starting keeper. The perpetually Tottenham linked Leandro Damiao is also included and will be keen to follow Neymar to Europe, so expect some great displays from him. Currently employed by Internacional, he is exactly the type of player that Spurs have been looking for, someone that can combine Adebayor’s and Defoe’s skills into one.
The Spanish national team are World and European Champions, but are also the team with the most amount of Premier League players. As usual, Spain’s midfield includes a goldmine of talent. In Santi Cazorla, David Silva and Juan Mata, Del Bosque has included three of the Premier League’s best midfielders. Santi has unequivocally been Arsenal’s player of the season and with 12 goals and 13 assists, he will be a great addition to the Spanish team. Mata has for a second season been one of Chelsea’s best players and was voted by Chelsea’s fans as the player of the season. He has won the Champions League and Europa League with Chelsea and deserves a place in the Spanish team. Unlike the two other midfielders, Silva did not have a memorable season, but is one of the few midfielders that has had a standing place in the national team.
Surprisingly, Javi Garcia has been included in the squad and that is probably down to the fact that Spain lacks defensive midfielders. Cesar Azpilicueta and Nacho Monreal have both been called up and although Jordi Alba will most likely be Spain’s starting left back, it will most likely be that César Azpilicueta will feature as Spain’s right back ahead of the aging Arbeloa. Fernando Torres received a call up after his strong end to the season. Soldado is his real competition, since Villa has barely played all season and has fallen out of favor at Barcelona, but he is another player constantly rumored to be on the lookout for a Premier League team. And before we forget, Pepe Reina has been included but will remain the understudy to Casillas in the Spanish goal until one of them retires.
Japan come to the Confederations Cup as Asian Champions and they also have two Premier League players in their ranks, both having only spent one season England. Shinji Kagawa is certainly the best Japanese player at the moment and after impressing with Dortmund, winning back to back to Bundesliga titles, his transfer to United was not only seen as a coup but also a marketing scheme. The Japanese had a few injuries along the way, but overall scored 6 goals in 20 appearances for the club. More importantly, he combined well with Van Persie and was able to complement RVP by interchanging positions and runs into the box. The other player is Southampton’s Maya Yoshida, who had a good first season in the Premier League after transferring from Dutch side VVV-Venlo. Quite frankly, there have only been a total of 6 Japanese players that have played top flight English football so far.
The “love him or hate him” Luis Suarez will certainly be playing a big role in Uruguay’s attempt to advance to the final. He’s been the only member of the team that has been actually performing. Currently vying for a move away from the Premier League, he needs to impress his suitors on the world wide stage yet again. Gaston Ramirez has faired well, having arrived as Southampton’s record signing, scoring 6 and assisting in 3 goals. More will be expected from him the next season as Southampton battle to stay in the Premier League.
Uruguay has a pool of talent waiting to be tapped by Premier League teams. The first name on the list has been on the radar of all European top sides, and having guided Napoli to a second placed finish, Edinson Cavani is worthy of all the attention. Rumors are that he won’t be at Napoli next season with the most likely suitors coming from the Premier League and Juventus. Another top player, recently relegated with Palermo, is Abel Hernandez who has the ability to score and set up goals with ease.
With only two Premier League players in their squad, the Nigerian national team doesn’t look to English shores like they used to or rather, the Nigerian players aren’t as skilled as they used to be. The Chelsea duo of Victor Moses and Obi Mikel are both present, and were also the only two Premier League players to be present during Nigeria’s recent African Cup of Nations victory. Under Stephen Keshi, the team doesn’t include all the big names fans are used and he has selected from both African based players and European based players to build a well balanced team. While players will be showcasing their goods, there are few that will attract big Premier League teams.
The last team to include a Premier League based player is Mexico. Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez hasn’t had the best of seasons at Manchester United, but with the likelihood of Rooney’s departure, he may find more opportunities at the club. The Little Pea is Mexico’s star player and one of few European based players alongside Guardado and the Dos Santos. Arsenal reject Vela has been shunned by the national team after ironically rejecting recent call ups.
As for Tahiti, they have the same amount of Premier League based players as Italy, 0. Since Super Mario Balotelli’s departure, the Premier League lacks an Italian national team player, but constant speculations linking De Rossi to England may change that.
To sum it up there, Chelsea is the Premier League side with the most number of players represented at the FIFA Confederations Cup. Let’s hope all of the Chelsea players, and the national team players from other Premier League sides, make it through the entire tournament without getting injured.

Guide to Premier League Players at the Confederations Cup

Guide to Premier League Players at the Confederations Cup - World Soccer Talk

<div id="attachment_733" style="width: 260px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-733" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-733" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/2010/01/50-pounds-fan.jpg" alt="It&apos;s that time again!" width="250" height="245"></figure></div>It&apos;s that time again!</div>
I remember when the January transfer window first came to football. Forgive me if I can’t remember the exact year but I remember FIFA decided that it was a good idea to help all the small clubs hold onto their top players for larger parts of a season. Nobody could have predicted the level of insanity and inflated pricing that it would have brought, but now January is a special time for football fans; almost like Christmas in the footballing world. Especially the last two days where we see all the panic buys, prompting many of us to ask why managers didn’t use the previous 30 days available to them – but that would be silly wouldn’t it? Just about every team in the Championship could arguably do with strengthening in the first month of the year and it will be interesting to see who is welcomed to the league and who we will be saying goodbye to:
Barnsley:
Mark Robbins has done a fine job so far but his biggest desire will most likely be a striker and Billy Sharp has been one of the names thrown around. Sheffield United may well want return him from his loan at Doncaster so they can cash in, but expect Yorkshire rivals to try all they can told hold onto their top player this season. Barnsley have agreed to extend the loan deals of Stoke players Ryan Shotton and Carl Dickinson so Robbins will be delighted that have those players as options. As far as departures, no major players have been rumoured to be leaving the club so watch this space.
Blackpool:
How much ambition does the Blackpool board have? Playoff contenders Blackpool have surprised many this season but they still have a lot of work to do. They’ve already supposedly failed to sign <a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11728_5836645,00.html">Roman Torres</a> and there’s been and Holloway has admitted that players will only be coming in if they have the right character. No offers have come in for their players yet, but few would be surprised if some clubs tested the Seasider’s resolve on in form midfielder Charlie Adam; a player who has been a joy to watch all season.
Bristol City:
Not to look too much into anyones personal life but does anyone else think there was a heated Christmas affair at the Johnson household? Lee Johnson, son of Robbins manager Gary Johnson, has left the club for the injury struck Derby, on an original one-month loan deal; guess it wasn’t a Merry Christmas for all of us. The club is currently in a defensive crisis, so City fans should expect Christian Ribeiro to return to the club from his loan spell at Stockport. Targets have been discussed this week, but Johnson will no doubt be disappointed to learn that he must <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bristol_city/8439342.stm">fund himself</a> this month by selling players first.
Cardiff City:
Peter Ridsdale will become the most unpopular chairman in the country for a second time if he is lying about the club’s potential administration possibility, but Cardiff do need to strengthen their team if they want to keep up with those around them. Fabian Delph is thought to be high on Dave Jones’ list, as a midfielder appears to be the priority for this month. Villa don’t seem keen on loaning out young star Delph but there is no doubt that Cardiff will enquire and if they can bag the player in on loan it could allow another player to come in at the same time as Jones has been promisd £3 million to spend. Bristol Rovers star Chris Lines has also been touted, a player who’s contract is up at the end of the season; the right bid may be too good to turn down as Rovers will not want to risk losing him for nothing. An unusually quiet window in terms of rumours for Joe Ledley may be explained by new kid on the block Adam Matthews, who is courting interest from big teams such as Manchester United and Arsenal. Let’s see if the Bluebirds can hold on.
Coventry City:
It’s common practice for English clubs to raid the Irish leagues these days, and Coventry have moved quickly to snap up Gary Deegan. Richard Woods and Chris Hussey have made their loan moves permanent, business Chris Coleman is delighted with and their is a move in the pipe line for league one stand out Carl Baker who has impressed many this season. It certainly appears as if Coleman is doing all he can to fight off the relegation threat to the club and we may even expect more new arrivals at the Ricoh arena. Coleman will not be happy however to hear that Sunderland have an eye on goalkeeper Kieran Westwood and the club must do everything in their power to keep one of the leagues top goalkeepers.
Crystal Palace:
Will any money be spent? No. Palace have <a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11706_5818892,00.html">struggled to find the green stuff </a>this season and a team that was already quite inexperienced may get even more so by the end of the window. Palace are even in danger of losing their manager Neil Warnock as he eyes up the chance to manage league counterparts Sheffield Wednesday. You must have been living under a rock if you haven’t heard the name Victor Moses linked with just about every club above Palace in the country and Palace have certainly shown they aren’t going to be pushed over despite their monetary problems as they’ve set an asking price of £5 million. Expect more stories about players going out this month as opposed to players coming in.
Derby County:
Derby need new faces fast. They’ve been hit so badly with injuries that Nigel Clough has struggled to get a consistent team together that understands how they play. An ambitious side that would be appealing to any player really, a striker is top of their list. Michael Symes, James Vaughan and Fredrik Stoor are all on Clough’s radar as the Rams look to get someone quality up front. Danny Buijs of Ado Den Haag was keen on a move to the club but this may have fallen through due to his clubs reluctance to loan him out. Recently fit again Kris Commons is attracting interest from the Premiership, Wolves have their eye on the talented midfielder.
Doncaster Rovers:
There’s not much coming out of Donny at the moment. Billy Sharp has recently won PFA player of the month and the Keepmoat outfit will be hoping that Sheffield United don’t exercise their option to recall the front man. A rumoured move for Daniel Cousin seems unlikely, especially considering that QPR are in advanced talks with the player. Martin Woods has been making some eye catching performances this season and the club will be trying to fend off the likes of Cardiff and Middlesbrough this month so they can hold onto him.
Ipswich Town:
Roy Keane has already spent quite a lot of money as manager of Ipswich and results on the pitch have not reflected this. Giovanni Dos Santos is wanted by the tractor boys once again and may well be one of a few signings coming in this month unless players move out. Tamas Priskin has been a flop since his £1.7m move and may well be heading towards the exit door this month and could well pave the way for Derby striker Rob Hulse.
Leicester City:
If Nigel Pearson had plans at the start season for this transfer window then he may well want to throw them out of the window and reassess. City are another admirer of Chris Lines and will be part of a bidding war for him. A bizarre move for Edgar Davids may materialise as well, chairman Milan Mandaric has spoken of his admiration of the former Dutch international recently; paying his wages may be another issue though (maybe he has another with all that tax dodging he’s been up to). Top scorer Matt Fryatt has been watched by Wigan recently and Pearson will not fancy losing him.
Middlesbrough:
Kris Boyd would be a huge capture for the troubled North East side and Boro are certainly <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/8442623.stm">considering that avenue</a> due to Rangers current financial difficulties. Signs would suggest that Strachan is keen to utilise his knowledge of the Scottish leagues, as his former players Gary Caldwell and Scott McDonald have both been suggested as Boro arrivals. In any case expect many arrivals for the short-handed side as Didier Digard prepares to depart the Riverside.
Newcastle United:
Chris Hughton has got money available to him and Jermaine Beckford seems more and more likely to join the Geordies after <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/8444552.stm">recently handing in another transfer request</a>. A defender is also a desire for the Toon, but don’t expect Matthew Killgallon to move to the North East, the defender has now committed to Sheffield United until the end of the season. Former Ballon D’or nominee (that’s right) Geremi made a little unannounced detour on his way to Angola to meet up with potential new club Ankaragucu. Although they haven’t actually agreed anything with Newcastle the Turkish side still decided to throw the confetti and a party for the player; talk about confidence!
Nottingham Forrest:
Could anyone really play their way into this in form side? Forrest fans will be hoping that Billy Davies can make some signings as to maintain their promotion push and former England international Nicky Shorey is their first priority. It’s been highly reported for a while that the club has an interest in Tottenham’s Gareth Bale but this may be quite unlikely as it is unknown what Harry Redknapp wants to do with the player. Swindon’s Charlie Austin could be a more likely transfer although this is a light rumour as of now. There has been little interest from any clubs so far in Forrest players.
Peterborough United:
Another non-league player comes in (surprise Posh fans!) Josh Simpson. Aldershot’s Marvin Morgan has been attracting interest, although this may seem unlikely now the club has captured Reuben Reid from West Brom. Izale McLeod is the subject of interest from the Posh, but they face interest from Scottish Premier League side Hearts. The traditional round of Joe Lewis leaving rumours have begun already, particularly after Barry Fry told Harry Redknapp he had first option on the player – Redknapp later telling everyone. Good one Barry.
Plymouth Argyle:
So far for Plymouth its been more a case of who’s leaving this month. However, the green army could be tempted to bring back out of favour Hull player Peter Halmosi. It is a bit unknown who new boss Paul Mariner is after, as the club have seen defenders Kirsztan Timar and Marcel Seip both leave already and Steven MacLean is more than likely on his way out too. Tough times on the south coast.
Preston North End:
<a href="http://www.championshiptalk.com/can-darren-ferguson-take-preston-to-the-premiership/720">Darren Ferguson</a> returns to the Championship almost instantly and has taken the reigns at the famous outfit of Preston North End. If you’ve read Daniel Cragg’s post on this site then I don’t need to tell you that there isn’t a lot of money for Preston, but changes need to be made. Neil Collins has joined on a permanent deal already but due to Ferguson’s arrival being so recent its hard to tell who he wants to bring in at this time. Sorry Preston fans!
Queens Park Rangers:
Signings galore for the London outfit? You wouldn’t be wrong. The team has already apparently agreed a deal for Daniel Cousin who will join up after the African Cup Of Nations and the club also has apparently made an enquiry about the well-travelled Amdy Faye. Markus Jonsson of AIK in Sweden is also hoping for a move to England and QPR may well be his outlet to fulfil that ambition. Adel Taarabt may return to Tottenham unfortunately for QPR, but the player has his heart set on staying with Rangers.
Reading:
Gunnar Thorvaldsson has become another member of the ever-growing Icelandic contingent at Reading but apart from that there are few players being linked with the club due to their lack of a manager. Reading have managed to hold onto Simon Church after he signed a new deal with the club and they also harbour an ambition that Gylfi Sigurdsson can continue his impressive displays with Reading as opposed to someone else.
Scunthorpe United:
Craig Dawson of Rochdale is a player Nigel Adkins would dearly love at his disposal, but Rochdale seem adamant he is going nowhere. Scunthorpe seem to see Rochdale as somewhat of a market stall this January if you believe their interest in striker Chris O’Grady. Michael Raynes seems a very likely arrival for the Irons, the Stockport defenders contract is up in the summer and his club are likely to want to make some sort of profit on him. George Friend has been recalled by Wolves, meaning the Irons only have one left back at the club, so that position is likely to be Adkins priority.
Sheffield United:
Due to Matthew Killgallons apparent commitment to the club, Kevin Blackwell is unlikely to have the money he thought he would this window. Richard Creswell has come in from Stoke already but former loanee Greg Halford will not be returning to the club as he wants to battle for his place at Wolves. As mentioned above, Marcel Seip has joined on loan for the rest of the season and it may not be the end of the dealings for a heavily injury struck squad.
Sheffield Wednesday:
The club is looking to the future, as <a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11703_5837382,00.html">ten Australian players</a> are currently on trial with the club. Tom Soares has extended his loan deal but the most prominent potential transfer for Wednesday at the moment is their managerial position. As mentioned above, Neil Warnock is interested in the job and is the bookies favourite to get the job.
Swansea City:
Could Paulo Sousa, the manager, leave Swansea this January? Burnley have an eye on the talented Portuguese gaffer but the Swans want to hold on. Lee Trundle has extended his loan deal at the club, much to the fans delight and the club may be in the market for another striker to solve their goal shyness. Kevin Phillips, Vincent Pericard and Tamas Priskin have all been linked with the club, so watch this space. The club will also be doing everything they can to hold onto Andrea Orlandi as a few scouts have been watching him over the past few weeks.
Watford:
Your guess is as good as mine? Probably nothing will be happening this month as Malky Mackay wants to keep all his players, particularly Scott Roach and the threat of administration means there will be few arrivals for the hornets.
West Bromwich Albion:
Ishmael Miller is almost back from injury and will feel like a new signing upon his return and it remains to be seen whether or not the club can meet Crystal Palace’s valuation of Victor Moses. Gabriel Tamas has joined on loan from Auxerre and brings a wealth of experience with him. Marcus Haber may also be on his way in, while Robert Koren is expected to be shipped out of the Hawthorns as the Albion have a wealth of depth at their disposal.

January Transfer Window: What Will Happen?

January Transfer Window: What Will Happen? - World Soccer Talk

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Guide to Premier League Players at the Confederations Cup

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January Transfer Window: What Will Happen?