STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - JANUARY 29: An emotional Josh Laurent of Stoke City celebrates scoring their 2nd goal during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round between Stoke City and Stevenage at Bet365 Stadium on January 29, 2023 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Sunderland is getting ready for its game against Alex Neil’s Stoke City team on Saturday at the bet365 Stadium.
Josh Laurent, the captain of Stoke, has acknowledged that his team hasn’t performed well enough this year after taking only one of their last eight Championship games.
Prior to back-to-back home matches against Sunderland and Leeds, the Potters are ranked 21st in the Championship. Potters manager Alex Neil is optimistic that the team’s injury situation will improve after the international break.
Reflecting on Stoke’s start to the season, Laurent, who has started all 11 league games this term, told the club’s website: “Before the first international break we weren’t too bad. I thought we showed a lot of promise, but ultimately we know it’s not been good enough, everyone in the building knows it’s not been good enough.
“We’re all frustrated with it and we’re all working hard to get back on the right track and start picking up some right results, start looking forward and up the table.
It has been difficult and difficult; obviously, this is a new bunch, and everyone is learning about one another and what is best for the team. We all agree that it hasn’t been good enough, and everyone associated with the football team is frustrated—the fans, us, the coaches, and all of the others—but we must remain together and get through this little moment together.
Laurent responded when questioned about the forthcoming matches against Sunderland and Leeds: “We probably need two back-to-back results to simply uplift our season and really give us a push that gives us a little of self-confidence. Of course, our goal is to perform well in front of our home crowd so that they will support us and foster a sense of unity among the team, the supporters, and the coach.
Every game in this league is significant, but those two are very significant to us because we want to win.
For the match against Stoke at the bet365 Stadium, Sunderland might also be able to welcome back several of its first-team players, but midfielder Dan Neil will be suspended due to his red card against Middlesbrough last time out.
