After a disheartening loss to Cardiff City yesterday afternoon, Stoke City boss Steven Schumacher has urged all members of the team to pull together for their next 12 games as relegation looms.
At the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday, the Bluebirds’ early lead was 2-0 thanks to goals from Kion Etete and Karlan Grant, leaving the Potters behind after just thirty minutes. Though Joon-Ho Bae scored his first goal for the team by tapping in a rebound from a Lewis Baker free kick, Schumacher’s team did manage to rally and leave the Welsh capital with a point.
The loss sent Stoke City into the relegation zone, a spot that seemed far away after Schumacher’s team went five games without losing at the start of his stay. Since then, though, the squad has suffered six straight losses and has fallen farther down the Championship table.
After 13 games as manager, Schumacher has only managed three victories. He was brought in to help Stoke break through their ongoing Championship mediocrity, but he may be the one to send the team to the third division for the first time since 1992.
Before a struggle for relegation, the 39-year-old spoke after the game and urged unity among his team: [Stoke-On-Trent Live quotes]:
Nothing actually changes as a result. We recognise our current situation. We were aware that there would be six, seven, or eight teams competing, and that the teams who could string together consecutive victories would emerge victorious. We must work out a method for doing that.
These athletes will defend us. Since I have been here, I am unable to criticise the players’ work. I believe that everyone can see that they’re making an effort and are giving it their all, even when they’re falling short in some situations. Twelve games remain, which is still a considerable amount of time—a quarter of the season—and it won’t end until it does.
We only ask that everyone stay united, as we will require it throughout the ensuing twelve games.
Author’s Perspective
There’s no denying Stoke City’s struggles, and their chances of playing in League One the following season are growing. The team was in the Premier League as recently as 2018. Their next three games are against Middlesborough, Leeds United, and Preston North End, so things are not getting any easier despite the bad results.
Given that teams like Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday are now shown more signs of a late survival effort than Schumacher’s team, saving the Potters would be quite the feat. In the last Championship season, 45 points was sufficient to remain up, thus Stoke needs to win three games and a draw at minimum to achieve that mark, which is difficult to do right now.
