Tony Mowbray has stood by his decision to play without a recognised striker at Stoke, despite three natural number nines sat on the bench.
INTERNATIONAL DUTY
“Mason didn’t come back to training until Friday, and it was the same with Nazariy Rusyn, who had been away with Ukraine. Jewison Bennette didn’t actually get back until after our training session on Friday. He flew 11 hours from Costa Rica, you can’t play in those circumstances."
DIFFICULT PREPARATIONS
“You have to train and prepare for the game, and we’d had Pritchard and Roberts working with us all week. Training was tough on Friday in the conditions with Storm Babet, so it was a very difficult preparation if I’m trying to defend the team a little bit. Of course, I know it was probably the same for Stoke City. We have to accept that defeat is part of the game and try to bounce back on Tuesday."
NO PHYSICALITY
“We didn’t start either half well enough. It’s almost you need a slap before you react to the fight. We talked about trying to be ready for the physical confrontation, and we fell a little bit short in that aspect. We created enough chances not to lose the match, but we fell below par for the way we want to play and what we want to do.”
