2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Peter Smith)
Eric Bocat knows he has got to add game-changing moments to his CV after being given a licence to play to his strengths by Mark Robins. The 25-year-old left-back is coming to the end of his first season in English football and is enjoying life at Stoke and under Robins, finding his most consistent form since returning from a calf injury and getting back into the starting XI in mid-March. He had been stuck in the treatment room for the first two-and-a-half months of Robins’ reign and was determined to come back and make a difference – but he still wants to contribute more in terms of the most obvious statistics like setting up goals.
He said: “(The manager is) totally confident in my quality. He doesn’t just say I can do what I want but he wants me playing to my strengths. He knows I like to run and back and forth and I have to do it, defensively first, then offensively I can do what I can do.
He trusts me and I trust him so that’s good. “I want to improve my end product. This season I’m on one assist in the league and one in the cup.
It’s not that much in terms of numbers, even if I’m not that kind of player who just looks at numbers. I want to look in deep at performances and I think you can have a good season even if you don’t have the numbers. “But now, in football, you need to get numbers so I will say end product is something is what I want to improve.
” Bocat joined Stoke from Belgian club Sint-Truiden last summer and he wants to keep developing his game. He said: “I prepared myself before I moved to England to come here and do the best I could do. For a first season it’s always a season of adaptation, a new country, a new culture and lots of games in the Championship.
“I think for a first season, personally, it could be worse and of course it could be better but I’m quite happy with how it’s gone and I hope next year will be better. “When I was injured and I was out of the squad I couldn’t help the team and I prepared my body and myself to come back and do all the best. When you see the situation, everyone wants to do their best to help and keep the team in the league and win every game and every point we can take.
I think it came from that point. I was ready to help the team, do my best. “I think you can reflect on your performances even while you’re playing, as well as if you are out of the team, and it keeps you focused every day and every training session to improve and become a better player and person.
” Bocat will play in front of the biggest Stoke crowd he has experienced so far on Friday in a home match against Sheffield Wednesday (3pm). A win at Cardiff last weekend was a big step towards Championship safety but he warned: “It’s not over yet. We have to keep on top of it, work every day in training and stay focused.
“I hope that the ground is going to be full and they’re going to help us. I’ve heard a lot of stories about the crowd from when the club was in the Prem, a lot of positive things, and they are going to give us really good support and give everything for us because they make the club – and we’ll give everything for them.” While you're here, we have launched a new WhatsApp group to deliver the latest Stoke news directly to your phone.
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