Mark Robins has confirmed that Stoke City have lost Enda Stevens for ‘a little period’ to add injury to a difficult night at Bristol City.
Robins shifted to 3-5-2 for the first time at Ashton Gate, with Josh Wilson-Esbrand used at left wing-back as key man Stevens joins fellow left-back Eric Bocat in the treatment room. That comes as Lewis Koumas was only well enough to be used from the bench following a sickness bug and Tatsuki Seko had to fill in on the right as Junior Tchamadeu couldn’t be risked.
The manager was unimpressed at the defending for both goals in a 2-0 defeat but knows Stoke have to pick themselves up again very quickly, with a home match to follow against Swansea on Saturday.
He said: “We didn’t do enough and we allowed them to dominate us in every way really. When I set the team up – and obviously changed the formation today but sometimes needs must and tonight was one of those, I can’t keep throwing Junior out, we’ve lost Enda for a period – it throws up some challenges.
“We’re trying to get players in positions that you know they’re capable of doing it but Lewis Koumas, who has just scored two goals against Cardiff on Saturday, picked up some sort of bug and missed training. He was back in yesterday, to be fair, so that changes thinking a little bit.
“We allowed them to get on top by really being more physical, which is ridiculous really. We allowed them to dominate us that way. We dominated possession but didn’t really have a shot on target. There was one where we hit the frame of the goal but weren’t ruthless enough to finish it off. That would have made it 1-1 and it might just have given us a bit of belief but there was a lack of everything really.
“It’s too simplistic to say we’ve got to move on from this one quickly because we’ve got a game in 48 hours but we’re going to have to pick the bones out of it and come up with a game plan for Saturday that was better than this one – but the players have got to help with that.
“They’ve been brilliant really since we’ve come in in terms of being conscientious and up for a fight but tonight was lacking for whatever reason, I don’t know.”
Robins, who had played occasionally with wing-backs at Coventry, has been trying to find a system that best suits the players he has available at the moment.
He said: “You’re trying to put them in positions where they are going to have their best minutes or moments on a football pitch. You can look at Seko’s positioning because he’s had to do a right wing-back job for half-a-game. He did ok to be fair but he was a bit unsure about it. But I can’t rolling them out because they’re going to break and I can’t afford anymore to break. I’m hoping I can get people back rather than others missing out. Enda Stevens is missing for a period now, I don’t know how long but it’ll be a little period. We are looking at what we can do.”
It was put to him that it was a blow to lose a player like Stevens who can bring calmness to the team when he is fit and available.
“Absolutely that,” he said. “It throws up a different challenge but that’s what we’re here for I’m afraid.
“It might be too simplistic but we’ve got to put it behind us really quickly and focus on what we can do next. You can never do anything about what’s just gone when there’s a game coming really quickly.”
Robins said he was hopeful, however, of “some good news” on the injury front over the next few days. Million Manhoef and Sam Gallagher are among the key players who have been missing.
Discussion about this post