Peter Crouch reckons Stoke ‘could have turned over’ superstars Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta
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We could have beat Barcelona! Former England striker Peter Crouch believes Stoke could have ‘handed over’ Messi and Iniesta in the Britannia… when he revealed they would train on the pitch to ‘cut it to pieces’ to upset Arsenal
- Peter Crouch has claimed Stoke could have beaten Barcelona in the Britannia
- The former striker revealed that they cut up the field before big games
- The 40-year-old made 261 appearances in Stoke City between 2011 and 2019
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Former England striker Peter Crouch has boldly claimed that Stoke City would have imagined their chances against anyone at some point during his time at the club – including Barcelona in the Britannia.
The former England international made 261 appearances for the Potters and scored 61 goals in a span that lasted between 2011 and 2019, most of that time in the Premier League.
The Potters were known for their rugged football style and solid home, especially during the period under Tony Pulis between 2011 and 2013, where they even qualified for the Europa League.
Peter Crouch insists Stoke City at one point imagined their chances against someone
The former Liverpool and Portsmouth forward revealed he believes Stoke could have beaten anyone at home at some point – including superstars like Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta – as he recalled his time at the club as he spoke to fellow ex-England star Joe Cole.
“I got into it because when I got there there were a lot of players playing above themselves, but the attitude and camaraderie in the group was great,” Crouch said on the website. BT Sport Cole Cast.
“It was one of the best locker rooms I’ve ever been a part of, you just knew you were going to battle every day and get a result because of the pace of work, the attitude, the effort and the dedication.
Crouch thinks Stoke could have handed over Barcelona with Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta
“I think we were the only team that could beat Barcelona at the time. We just made it terrible.
“If Messi or Iniesta had come to the Britannia at the time, I think we could have handed them over because we made it terrible for teams.”
The 40-year-old even admitted that they trained on the pitch before certain matches to make sure it was cut to prevent the opponent from playing a free game.
“We trained in the middle of the field before playing Arsenal, just to split it all up,” Crouch continued.
The former England international also admitted they trained on the pitch to split it up
“The grass had grown longer and I remember looking at Aaron Ramsey and couldn’t see his boot. He went ‘Crouchy!’ and I went, that’s exactly what we do here. It was brilliant.
“Tony always said, be honest with him, he could adapt, but he didn’t. His best line of all time for me was when he felt like we were getting ahead of things.
“It’s one of the best rules I’ve heard in football. He said: “Don’t get ahead of yourself guys, you are average players in a fantastic system”. I can’t argue with that.’
