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Johannes Hoff Thorup's pre-Stoke City press conference is today at 1.30pm.
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We start with injuries. Angus Gunn has a side strain and will be out for the game on Saturday. He could return fairly soon with an injection, but normally he would miss another two weeks.

On Marcelino Nunez: "More positive than expected. We will assess him tomorrow. He's been able to do some work on the pitch but a little bit better than expected after the game. We have to wait and see, because he hasn't trained for 10 or 11 days."

"You can see the way that we're playing that we are producing some high numbers," Thorup continues, "which some players have to get used to. There will be rotation in the next three games."

Thorup confirms that Jose Cordoba's knee is just a management issue. Expected to feature against Stoke.

Everyone else who was away on internationals is okay. "Today was the first day we looked at the game on Saturday," Thorup says. "Everyone was in, so it was the first day that we could really start. We'll prepare even more tomorrow."

Christian Fassnacht will be on the grass next week, while Jacob Sorensen has been with the team for five days. Ashley Barnes is feeling better. Liam Gibbs and Onel Hernandez still out long term

"We are getting closer," Thorup says of the search for a first-team coach. He doesn't seem to want to give too much away!

He has done well, but in football it's about continuing," says JHT of Borja Sainz. "He's been in and we've been working on some individual stuff. We have to make sure that he's on track and fully ready for the upcoming games. The past is the past."

On Sainz: "He's only focused on hwo he can improve. He tried a little joke asking for a week off, but I think he would have chosen to come in a few days."

On Kellen Fisher: "I'm really happy, and that's why we play him. He's an important player, not just a wildcard. There is real competition in the right full-back position, which from my position is really, really good. He gives the team solidity on the ball, and he can cover that position in different ways. He's so important for the way we play, and his aggression defensively has surprised me a little bit. His physicality isn't an issue. But Jack (Stacey) is doing well, and there is competition."

"Fantastic scouting to find him," Thorup continues. "Brilliant recruitment. He has taken some steps and made that position his. He plays like he's been in the Championship for many seasons."

On Stoke and Narcis Pelac's knowledge of the setup, Thorup jokes: "We'll change the style of play completely, that's the plan. No, my view on football is that it's 80, 90% about us. We have to make sure that we do everything we can with quality. We have to take it under consideration in some areas, but we'll continue with our style."

On Stoke: "They've been getting more calm on the ball, building the play from goal kicks. There's something going on."

"We know that there will still be difficult games and we have to fight, but we definitely should be able to do that," Thorup says. "We did that against Leeds and Derby, and we have to do that. Our fans have to do a lot of travelling in the next month, and I can imagine that a lot of them need to figure out the schedule to make it work. Playing away from home in this league is always difficult, so there's also some defensive work for us to do."

Thorup: "We had so many young players away (at Nordsjaelland), it was the same. It gives us the time to do more off the pitch."

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🟡🟢 And that's that from today's press conference - thank you for joining us!

Posted By: DrDublin on October 17th 2024 at 13:43:58

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