"It was uncalled for" - Pundit takes aim at Alex Neil following Norwich City comments | OneFootball

Alex Neil's in-form Stoke City side welcomed play-off chasing Norwich to the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon, but both sides had to settle for a goalless draw.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Potters had the lions share of possession which ended up totalling 65 per cent, which is a sharp contrast to what the Canaries are used to facing as they have dominated the ball since David Wagner arrived to replace Dean Smith in January as head coach.

The visitors were restricted to just one shot on target as well compared to Stoke having eight at Angus Gunn, but they could not find a way past the Norwich stopper as they had to make do with just a point.

Post-match, former Norwich boss Neil criticised the tactics of his counterpart Wagner, admitting his surprise at the fact they tried to shut up shop instead of play how they normally do, which is on the front foot.

That has prompted a response from ex-Norwich striker Chris Sutton, who believes that Neil is in the wrong for taking shots at the way Norwich decided to play.

In his column for the Pink Un, Sutton described Neil's comments as a 'cheap shot' and 'in poor taste' and also referenced to his surprise departure from Sunderland to take up the Stoke job nearly seven months ago.

"Neil should focus on Stoke," Sutton wrote.

"He has a massive job on his hands to revive their fortunes, and his side are nine points behind Norwich in the table – his focus should be on the work he has to do with his own club to get them in a position to challenge for the top six next season.

"Stoke have lost more than they have won since he’s taken over and he’s had longer at the helm there than Wagner has overseen at Norwich.

"It’s not unusual for a manager to talk about other teams, but it was uncalled for whether it was an honestly held opinion or not and whether he was directly asked about Norwich’s set-up or not.

"My question would be around motive – what is he trying to achieve through his comments?"

The Verdict

Neil was perhaps frustrated that his side didn't pick up what he thought should have been a deserved win, but it seems as though he was only making observations about how his former club decided to set up.

It's perhaps a compliment to how Stoke are playing right now that Wagner opted for a more conservative approach and let them have most of the ball, but in the end their game-plan worked.

It would be a surprise to anyone that Norwich only finished a match with 35 per cent possession considering the quality of player at their disposal, so Neil's comments shouldn't be taken as shots being fired.