Mark Robins praises ‘brilliant’ Stoke City star after win vs Southampton, but there’s a catch

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Stoke City remain at the top of the Championship table after an incredibly impressive 2-1 victory over Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

It’s three wins from three for Mark Robins’ side, and after two good performances against Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday to start the campaign off, they travelled to St. Mary’s full of confidence.

Lewis Baker made it two goals in three matches to open the scoring in the second-half, and despite going down to ten, as Divin Mubama was sent off for simulation, the Potters doubled their lead.

Sorba Thomas received the ball from an incredible Viktor Johansson throw, before sprinting up the pitch and finishing with aplomb. While Taylor Harwood-Bellis did halve the deficit, Stoke held on and Robins was massively pleased with his goalkeeper’s performance.

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Mark Robins makes Viktor Johansson admission after Stoke City victory

It’s been the perfect start to the campaign for the Potters, and one that may have come as a surprise to many at the bet365 Stadium.

Nevertheless, Johansson has played a huge role in putting Stoke into such a strong position at this early point in the season. Keeping hold of the Swedish international is key, and Robins has pointed out how pleased he is that the 26-year-old is still at the club.

He said (via: Stoke Sentinel): “He was really good, I thought he was brilliant in every element of his game. I thought he was outstanding, he is outstanding. Well done to him, well done to everyone.

“You’ve got to try to keep your best players and he’s certainly one of those, one of the best in the division. I’m going to shut up now because there’s still a few days left in the window.

“To a man they should be proud of their performance but we’ll pick the bones out of it like we always do and make sure we improve on certain aspects. But to play for half an hour with a man down is no mean feat and they deserve enormous credit.”

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The Potters must ensure Viktor Johansson remains at the club

With just over a week to go until deadline day, the main focus at Stoke will be to ensure that they do keep hold of their first-choice goalkeeper.

He made an incredible stop to deny Harwood-Bellis the opening goal in the first-half, and it was proof of just how much quality Johansson has.

So far this season, the ex-Rotherham United shot-stopper has a save percentage of 77.8%, preventing 0.77 goals already in his first three games, keeping one clean sheet from those matches.

His distribution has also been excellent, and he will be vital to the success that Stoke have in the weeks and months to come. Therefore, it is imperative that he is not sold.