JUST NOW: Stoke City legend reviews the week that was at the bet365 Stadium ahead of this weekend’s trip to Leicester City…

We’ve had two months of the season now. The first one was average but encouraging, the second was very poor, the third has its challenges but we have to knuckle down and get through them, show our true face and prove that we’re here to challenge the best teams in this division. We’re not here to finish in the bottom half, what ambitions do we have as individuals and as a team?

It has been good to see Nathan Lowe making his breakthrough and interesting to hear him reflect on a sliding doors moment that might have presented this chance. Falling ill during the under-21s match on Monday last week meant he didn’t play 90 minutes and, quickly recovered, that meant he could make an impression in his cameo at Bournemouth, which earned him a shot as a sub at Bristol City, when he won the game and earned a start against Southampton.

There are expectations to hit if you start games for Stoke and each player has a role, no matter his position, that he has to fulfil. You have a base level to hit to fit into the unit and as a striker you have to provide, produce, create and finish and you have defensive duties too, just like a young defender has responsibilities in possession. But what an adrenaline rush it must be to know you can score goals at this level and have that desire to make your mark.

It has been promising to see his movement, linking play and looking to then get into dangerous positions when he can get on the end of crosses. Our recent target men at Stoke – Wesley and veteran Steven Fletcher in the season before last – have not been able to have that darting run to follow up on any knockdowns they might win.

You have to play to players’ strengths so if you need quick forwards around Wesley and Fletcher, you can also make sure you’re looking out for Lowe’s runs. It was his run behind the defender which should have earned Stoke a penalty and equaliser against Southampton and I was perplexed that the foul wasn’t spotted. That wasn’t a dark arts sneaky tug, it was a rugby tackle.

I’m also pleased to hear that he studies strikers like Harry Kane, the kind of player who shares his basic attributes. You always have to keep learning. If you stop, you’re finished. Even Kane is still learning and we have 150 years of history and 50-odd years of video footage to explore too. It’s not always a case of reinventing the wheel, it’s spotting a small or big thing you can add to your game. Go back and look at Puskas, Pele, Sheron too! Good luck to him, let’s hope he continues as he’s started.