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Stoke City boss throws support behind Ben Gibson after dramatic week
Narcis Pelach has backed Ben Gibson as a ‘great captain’ for Stoke City on and off the pitch after seeing the defender end a dramatic week with a winner against Derby County.
Gibson has had a couple of tough moments over the last few days, slipping before Sheffield United’s second goal in a 2-0 defeat at Bramall Lane last Saturday before sending a header on its way into his own net for an equaliser for Derby today, although Viktor Johansson, who tried to stop it on the line, has been credited with the own goal.
But the 31-year-old centre-half bounced back by scoring at the other end, stopping to head in a Bae Junho corner and seal an important 2-1 victory.
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Pelach said: “We are all very happy for Ben at the end. I know him very well from Norwich and it's not just what he does on the pitch, which is all the things people can see, but all the things he does off the pitch. He's a great captain for us. He keeps the dressing room very healthy, he raises the standards there. He protects the culture of the club and the team and we have to be very happy with the captain that we have.”
Gibson had been trying to nod a left wing cross back to Johansson when he realised the keeper had drifted behind him and the ball span painfully towards the opposite post.
Pelach was more concerned about the reaction to that moment, particularly in the wake of how Stoke had reacted to set-backs in previous games, which had prompted team meetings trying to find an answer at Clayton Wood.
"I don't think you can work on these things,” he said about the own goal. “What I said to them is that in football you never know, the game can change in two minutes. You can be losing 2-0 and then it's 3-2 all of a sudden. We saw it against Bristol City and then the next week Luton are 2-0 up at Coventry and end up losing the game in the 92nd minute. Everything can change quick and you have to be ready mentally to face any situation and don't panic too much because it can change again.
"I'm pleased today about this because mentally we've talked a lot about it. We've not been great in that respect. We play with heart and sometimes don't put the brain there but I would prefer a team that is over-emotional and cares a lot about everything we do on the pitch. If sometimes we make a mistake due to composure then I'm ok with it, but today we were there, stayed in the game, and we got the goal to win it."
