The Potters drop to 20th place after 3 successive losses in The Championship and look to get back on track with a win against Huddersfield Town.
After another disappointing loss against Norwich, Alex Neil will be under pressure to deliver 3 points. Although the situation Stoke find themselves in isn’t a positive one, a win against a retiring Neil Warnock will show how far Alex Neil has taken this team.
For too long, Stoke have been giving away 3 points too easily against teams who have been in
atrocious form. Many fans have adopted the term “charity side” which really sums up the Stoke
teams of the past few years.
Stoke now finds themselves in a similar situation, there playing a team that has had a poor start to
the season and their manager is now retiring. Neil has the chance to show this new Stoke team is
different by showing ruthlessness and collecting three points tonight.
Here's everything you need to know about The Potters' upcoming game against The Terriers…
Team News:
Neil switched the formation after the loss against Preston from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-1-4-1 for the
Norwich game. Although Stoke did perform poorly only managing 2 shots on target there are still
some positives to take away from it.
Josh Laurent dropped back from his more advanced role to a deeper role and looked a lot more
impactful in this position. Aswell as new signing, Send Haksabanovic showed plenty of promises in the final third after coming off the bench for Wesley.
Haksabanovic provides great competition by playing in a variety of different positions. Although his
strongest position may be on the left wing he can easily play as the centre forward.
Predicted Starting XI against Huddersfield Town:
(GK) Travers, Leris, Wilmot, Rose, Gooch, Pearson, Laurent, Burger, Campbell, Junho, Haksabanovic
The Manager:
Neil Warnock. Perhaps the most legendary figure in The Championship. From the ruthless to the
hilarious team talks and the scathing post-match interviews. There perhaps isn’t a figure more
divisive. Warnock will now manage the final game of his career and would love nothing more than to send Stoke home with nothing.
Warnock's style of play is simple but effective. His teams are focused on playing a solid defensive
back line and quick transitions into attack. Warnock's style is built on aggressive and relentlesss pressing, crosses into the box and set pieces.
Pressing is the main principle that Warnock applies to all his teams. He wants his teams to deny any breathing room and force the opposition into making mistakes.
One to Watch:
Sorba Thomas could cause trouble down the flanks for The Potters. The right winger who joined
from non-league side Boreham Wood can deliver a deadly ball into the box causing havoc in the final third. The right winger also was also the 4th highest in the Championship rankings for most assists in the 21/22 season.
Thomas is also a dangerous player from set pieces, whipping the ball into the box with pinpoint accuracy.
Head 2 Head:
Despite winning one and losing one against Huddersfield last season Stoke has been by far the
better team overall. With The Potters winning 32 drawing 27 and losing 23.
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