The impression from Stoke fans on their lineup is that Schumachers gone for perhaps his most attacking, but also very lightweight first team
They really don’t seem to rate a lot of their own players, described their midfield as league 1, and it’s pretty clear Burger is their best player and they’re dissappointed he’s not playing
Yeah I was reading that. I've watched a bit of them. Burger can be tremendous but he's a high energy player. I think he's had his fitness issues and he's been looking jaded lately. Stoke fans can't understand why he's benched and blame the manager, but he's not a player who can do 90 twice a week and he's been over-used this season.
I do think if they play like this it's our best chance. Hoever is quick but unreliable and the rest are a dog's breakfast. If they get in a groove they can be very good around the box though (albeit terrible at shooting) so we can't drop too deep. However, if they're on the front foot and we play like we did against Leicester we can murder them on the transition (their press is kind of non-existent) and against their dog-poo CBs Whittaker and Hardie could have a field day.
They just need to avoid rushing the final ball. I know it's a product of low confidence but both of them have been guilty of that lately. It's why I'm very glad to see Bundu start, he's great in overload situations, and Forshaw is our most creative midfielder and also head and shoulders above the rest on set pieces, so glad to see him too.
We'll get our chances. Can we take them?