Paul Lambert did his best to breed some much-needed positivity during his first press conference as Stoke City manager, after his appointment endured a sceptical response on social media, but the Scot will know there is serious work to be done to turn what has been a dismal season at the Bet365 Stadium around.

Stoke’s plight harks back to the second half of last season – they’ve won just eight top flight fixtures since March – and the current campaign has seen them concede just six Premier League goals less than during the entirety of 2016/17.

Lambert insists he’s ‘100% sure’ the 18th-placed side can avoid relegation, but for that prophecy to prove true, there are four things he must do…

“I’m 100% sure that we have enough to stay up. The club shouldn’t be in the position we are in. If we can get a togetherness with the team, as well as fans’ backing, we should be fine.

“In the Premier League every game is hard whether at home or away. We need to get ourselves up the table and I intend on doing just that.”

Bring consistency to the defence

It’s no secret that Stoke’s biggest problem right now is conceding goals. With 50 let in already this season, Stoke have conceded the third-most goals after 23 games of any team in Premier League history. But the actual quality of their defenders isn’t really the problem; Kurt Zouma is a talented and physical centre-half and Ryan Shawcross has all the Premier League experience a relegation-threatened side could need.

Rather, Mark Hughes spent much of the campaign jostling around his defensive options, partly due to injury problems, and that has been Stoke’s ultimate stumbling block. Zouma and Eric Pieters are the only Stoke defenders to make more than 15 Premier League starts this season, while striker Mame Biram Diouf has spent much of the campaign filling in at right wing-back, and Hughes’ constant switching between back fours and back threes hasn’t helped either.

Stoke have already addressed one of those problems by acquiring Mortiz Bauer, who looks a decent option at right-back, but it’s vital Lambert settles on a system as soon as possible, and the Potters keep their most important defenders – particularly Shawcross, Zouma and Pieters – fit.

Find another outlet in the final third

Stoke’s overreliance on a 36-year-old Peter Crouch this season has been incredibly telling. He’s started or come on from the bench in all but three of their Premier League games, and the image of long, high balls aimlessly flung towards the England international has been symbolic of the Potters’ struggles offensively.

But Stoke do have creative talent in their midfield, particularly through Xherdan Shaqiri, Joe Allen and Ramadan Sobhi, and it’s more a question of finding another dependable outlet in the final third – someone who can bring the team up the pitch and the likes of Shaqiri and Sobhi into the game, while offering a more dynamic threat than Crouch.

The obvious suggestion is making a midseason signing; Stoke could certainly do with more firepower – their three joint-top scorers in the top flight this season all netting just four goals. But Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting certainly looks the part as a central striker and has probably been Stoke’s most consistent offensive threat this season.

Moving him from the wing to the tip of the attack and giving him a run up top could prove to be the right solution at no extra cost.

Inject more legs into central midfield

Allen and Darren Fletcher are a decent double-act on paper, but their lack of athleticism does stand out – particularly when fielded as a midfield two. Stoke’s current options here are pretty limited; Charlie Adam, Stephen Ireland and Geoff Cameron aren’t exactly known for their dynamism either; so this problem is really a matter of what’s available to the Potters in the transfer market.

But if Lambert can find a signing who brings more energy into the engine room both offensively and defensively – someone of the Wilfried Ndidi or Idrissa Gueye mould – that will have a big impact on the sturdiness and counter-attacking ability of the team.

He may not be the greatest player in the world, but Newcastle’s Mo Diame would be a decent fit and is probably available for a fair price.

Get off to a strong start

It perhaps goes without saying but especially bearing in mind the negativity already surrounding his appointment, it’s vital Lambert gets off to a strong start as Stoke manager.

Despite the scoreline, there were some positives to take from Stoke’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester United on Monday night, particularly in terms of team structure and the chances they created in the first half, and Lambert must build on those quickly while addressing the Potters’ defensive frailties. If the Lambert era starts slowly though, it won’t be long before there’s pressure to sack him from the supporters and the situation could quickly become toxic.

The good news for Lambert, however, is that Stoke have a good run of fixtures coming up; they don’t face another top six side until March and encounter relegation rivals Huddersfield, Bournemouth, Brighton and Southampton during the intermittent period.

In fact, the Terriers’ visit to the Bet365 Stadium this weekend represents the perfect chance to claim a much-needed clean sheet and return to winning ways; David Wagner’s side have won just two of their last twelve top flight games, scoring on just half of those occasions, and appear to have lost their momentum from earlier in the season.

A win would move Stoke to just one point behind the 14th-placed side and put Huddersfield firmly back into the mix for relegation.

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