O’NEILL IN SEARCH OF ‘RUTHLESS RECRUITS’
Potters boss in summer hunt for new players who can make a real difference
MICHAEL O’neill is looking for signings who can give Stoke City the cutting edge to turn clean sheets into wins.
Stoke, who take on Derby County at home today (3pm), have picked up 17 clean sheets so far this season, the joint-most in 16 years – but have only won 10 of those.
O’neill sees that missing ruthlessness as one of the main reasons Stoke are 11th with nine games to go rather than banging on the door of the top six.
He said: “If you look at the team, the highest scorer last season was a midfield player (Sam Clucas) with 11. This season, Nick Powell has 11 and we’ve played him in a number of positions.
“We had a young attacking player who looked like he was going to score a lot of goals before he was ruled out with injury in Tyrese Campbell and Steven (Fletcher) has had a stop-start season as well because of injuries and niggling injuries. I think we’ve had a lot of good play and opportunities. We have to make sure we continue to do that and continue to look to be more ruthless – and in the summer try to find those players who can deliver an edge because that’s the difference, I think, in this league.”
Stoke kept 17 clean sheets in 2018/19 but haven’t kept more since 2004/05 (20), remembered as Tony Pulis’s binary season.
O’neill added: “We look at the season and see that we’ve got 17 clean sheets, which is extremely
good, and we want to make sure we get 20. That’s a little target we have ourselves.
“Where we are disappointed is that seven of those games we have drawn 0-0 and that is probably the difference in why we are not closer to the play-offs than we could be.
“It shows you the margins in this league and we’ve got to make sure
if we keep clean sheets that we win more of those games.”
Fletcher has been ruled out due to concussion protocol after being knocked out against Cardiff while James Mcclean (foot) is still not fit – but will meet up with the Republic of Ireland squad tomorrow.
O’neill said: “I don’t think he’s
fit enough to be part of that squad. It’s up to Ireland to assess him, they have the right to do that. That’s the rules of international football.”