Steven Schumacher manager of Plymouth Argyle applauds the fans at full time looks dejected during the Sky Bet Championship match Coventry City vs Plymouth Argyle at Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry, United Kingdom, 28th November 2023 (Photo by Stan Kasala/News Images)
Steven Schumacher makes forward demand as profligate Stoke City punished by Sunderland
Reaction from the Stadium of Light as Stoke City lose 3-1 to Sunderland
Steven Schumacher made a pointed comment that Stoke City forwards have to take training seriously every day after being punished again for poor finishing.
Stoke have racked up 37 shots in their last two games but only hit the target with nine and scored just two – and one of those was an own goal from Sunderland’s Jenson Steelt. They have also ended up with no points. Instead, a 2-1 home defeat to Birmingham has been followed by a 3-1 loss at Sunderland and Stoke are now 19th in the Championship, seven points adrift of the top half and eight above the bottom three.
Schumacher, when asked what he had told his strikers, said: “I’ve just said it’s not good enough that we don’t hit the target. The only way we can get better is by working on the training ground and taking it seriously because I think earlier on in the season, creating opportunities at this club was difficult. Since we’ve been here, that’s changed. We’ve created a lot of good chances, got into good areas.
“Strikers have got to expect that they are going to get those chances, and midfield players too, and we have to make it count. So we have to concentrate every single day when we do it in training, when we work on things. We have to take it seriously because if you don’t, when you come into the stadiums when the pressure is on, you’re not going to get it right either.”
Stoke have scored 28 times in 29 league matches this season, the fourth worst record in the Championship. Schumacher was asked if it was a matter of conviction, confidence or quality.
“It’s a mixture of all three, yeah,” he said. “To have 37 shots, I think, in the last two games and they are not shots from 35 yards, they’re big opportunities, big chances, and to not work the keeper as often as we have is just not good enough. You’re not going to win games at this level if you’re careless like that because the opposition think they’ve got away with one and they can go up the other end and punish you.
