Hughes stokes up Potters for Cats crunch
Stoke manager Mark Hughes expects a response from his side when they resume Premier League action at Sunderland today.
Hughes watched his team exit the FA Cup with barely a whimper at home to Wolves last weekend, losing 2-0 to the Sky Bet Championship club.
Stoke’s first-half showing angered Hughes, although he felt his players improved in the second half, when a handful of decent saves from Carl Ikeme kept them at bay.
The Potters come north with only one win from their last six league games and Hughes feels more urgency as a defensive unit holds the key to improving that record and getting back on track.
‘’We didn’t perform to the level that we needed to last week, despite me picking a side that was more than capable of winning the game,’’ said Hughes.
‘’I have spoken about it with them this week, and as we have seen before, on the back of poor performances we more often than not bounce straight back.
‘’There are some frustrations within our building because of what happened last weekend and the guys are desperate to put those wrongs to right.
‘’Sunderland have struggled defensively and we have threats that can hurt them.
“But we need to be solid though because we have been a little slow in our defensive work, in terms of defending from the front. However, it is right across the board where we need to improve, not just the back line.
‘’I fully expect us to show a response tomorrow, although I acknowledge the difficulties facing us.”
Stoke have reopened talks with West Brom in a bid to finally thrash out a deal for Saido Berahino.
They are seeking a steer over the amount of money it would take to prise Berahino, 23, away from The Hawthorns.
“I’m not sure where we are with Saido Berahino,” said Hughes. “We are probably getting to the point where we need to make a decision one way or another.
“I am hopeful that we will be able to get something done. We are still waiting for the player’s club to give us an indication. We are looking at players who we feel can improve us, not only short-term but long-term too, and we have taken that into consideration with this deal.
“It is out of our hands unfortunately, but we are ready to discuss the situation and see where it progresses.
“It has been long-winded, and sometimes you lose some enthusiasm when that happens, but I have learned over the years that you have to be patient.
“We have been looking for a striker who can score 20-plus goals for some time now. They are a little bit scarce on the ground and you have to work hard to get them over the line.”
Meanwhile, Hughes has reiterated his stance on Bojan, who is reported to be a target for Middlesbrough.
He said: “As far as I am aware I don’t anticipate Bojan to be leaving.
“At the moment, we’re not in a position to sell.”