Speaking to the Potters’ media team, Stoke City player Wouter Burger asserted that his club must produce results in contests like their next matchup with Norwich City if they hope to be competitive.
The Staffordshire team’s performance so far this year has been inconsistent, but they will be frustrated to have only collected six points out of a possible 15 in their first five league games.
They have overhauled their team, but they will still be looking to score more goals.
They had a strong start to the season, winning 4-1 against Rotherham United and 1-0 against Watford on either side of a loss against Ipswich Town.
However, Alex Neil’s team has dropped both of their league contests, falling 2-0 to Preston North End at home after a close loss to Millwall on the road.
The latter game will have been seen as very winnable despite the Lilywhites’ impressive start, so the Potters will be looking to redeem themselves in the coming weeks with the international break coming to an end.
How have opponents Norwich City got on so far this season?
Norwich have done very well, taking 10 points from a possible 15.
Ideally for them, they would have got something from their final game against Rotherham United before the international break, but they had a bit of an off-day.
If they had taken a point or three from that though, they would have so much confidence going into this game.
It remains to be seen whether they can get over their defeat in South Yorkshire and get back on track with a win against their former boss Neil.
Having had a very disappointing season last term, David Wagner’s side will be desperate to secure a place in the promotion mix this term but consistency will be key for them.
What did Wouter Burger say about the upcoming Norwich City match?
Burger has confirmed that the Potters won’t be going to Carrow Road to sit back and defend a point.
They want the win – and Burger believes this is the type of game that the Potters need to win if they want to achieve their aims.
He said: “They’ve started quite well, similar to us I would say. It’ll be a game between two teams who really want to win. They’ll be playing in front of their fans of course so they will want to entertain them.
“We’ll go there also looking to win the game so it’ll be two teams battling against each other for the three points, which will make for a really good game.
“It’s another good test for us. If you want to compete and want more as a team you have to start getting results in games like this.”
Wouter Burger is he correct?
Burger is correct that this will be a difficult game, but if Stoke wants to get promoted, they will need to at least gain a draw.
The likes of Leeds United, Leicester City, and Southampton could prove to be difficult opponents away from home given that all three have only recently been relegated. Norwich are terrific opponents.
Despite Boro’s dismal start to the current campaign and Stoke’s performance on Teesside last season, Coventry City will be a difficult opponent at the Coventry Building Society Arena, and they would do well to secure a win at the Riverside.
Stoke has to be winning games against a tough team like Norwich if they want to finish in the top six since their home games against the relegated teams are likely to be challenging as well.
Their prospects of making the playoffs will be lower if they are unable to.
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