All Stoked Up
Fansided

3 Changes Stoke City should make for Saturday against Rotherham

By Matt Bernstein

LUTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: Adam Davies of Stoke City during the Sky Bet Championship match between Luton Town and Stoke City at Kenilworth Road on October 17, 2020 in Luton, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LUTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: Adam Davies of Stoke City during the Sky Bet Championship match between Luton Town and Stoke City at Kenilworth Road on October 17, 2020 in Luton, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

3 Changes to makes for Saturday against Rotherham

Coming off probably the worst performance of the season on Tuesday, a resounding 2-0 defeat against Swansea, the Potters should be looking to make some changes to get back on track.

1. Get Nick Powell back in the lineup

Powell has seen the bench in each of Stoke’s last two matches. After watching Stoke struggle against Swansea to do anything creative going forward, an obvious choice would be to add back in our arguably most creative player. If O’Neill is committed to having 5 at the back, having Powell ready to provide service to our two strikers while leaving two defensive midfielders behind should be enough to still be sturdy defensively.

It’s no secret that when Powell is in the lineup he is literally all over the field, and usually on the ground, for most of the match. Two games on the bench should be plenty of rest for Nick to get back in there.

2. Have Fletcher and Campbell up top

To pair with Powell, Stoke should be starting Fletcher and Campbell as their two main forwards. After trying out many combinations, this is Stoke’s most dangerous duo up front. Campbell in particular seems to have wonderful chemistry with Fletcher as he generates space with his speed and then is able to find Fletcher for crosses. On the season, Campbell has 2 goals and 4 assists, making him Stoke’s most dangerous attacking player.

Sam Vokes did little with a golden opportunity to impress on Tuesday. Despite getting little to no service, Tuesday’s performance should cement Campbell and Fletcher in the starting 11 more often than not.

3. Pray that Adam Davies is okay, if not, start worrying 

Seeing Angus Gunn start the second half against Swansea was not the halftime change fans were hoping to see. We are still waiting for a positive report on Davies, but losing our top player this season would be a huge blow for the club. When Jack Butland exited last week at the deadline, getting Angus Gunn on loan was touted as a positive move to secure the position. That being said, most were not anticipating seeing Gunn featured so soon. While Gunn did make some saves in the second half, his start, to put it kindly, did not inspire confidence.

Home/Stoke City FC News