Stoke City team news vs Leeds Utd as two teens among three changes
Sol Sidibe, Ashley Phillips and Lynden Gooch are brought into the Stoke City starting XI for a Boxing Day clash with promotion-chasing Leeds United at a very foggy bet365 Stadium.
Sidibe, aged 17, joins Wouter Burger and Andrew Moran in midfield while versatile Gooch - making his first start under Narcis Pelach - could fill in at left-back or wing-back in the absence of Eric Bocat and Enda Stevens. Phillips, 19, returns to central defence after illness forced him to the bench at the weekend. Tatsuki Seko and Michael Rose also drop out.
Pelach's system will become clearer at kick-off, with Tom Cannon up front with Lewis Koumas and Ben Wilmot, Ben Gibson and Junior Tchamadeu, as well as keeper Viktor Johansson, making up the XI.
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Pelach said in his pre-match press conference: "It’s important how we start the game, that we’re aggressive and on the front foot. Of course Leeds will dominate the ball because they’ve done that against every team in the league but we can be aggressive, we can fight, we can win duels, we can win second balls, we can regain the ball high up the pitch and create chances.
"Then we need to make sure that we stay on it, stay on it, and then we will have our chance because it’s a football game. You talk about the pressure being on but it has to be on me, not the players. The players are doing everything they can, they are giving it all. Of course we have not been at our best level, this is clear for us to see, and we need to win much more duels and the other day there were actions that were not right but this is the responsibility for me, not a responsibility for anyone else.
"The players need to feel calm, go into the game and fight. All the noise and all the things that could be from outside has to be on me because I’m responsible at the end of the day, I’m the coach. No one else is, not the owner, not the sporting director, not the players. If the fans are not happy, it has to be on me because the players are looking to do very well for the club."
Stoke: Johansson, Tchamadeu, Wilmot, Phillips, Gibson, Burger, Sidibe, Gooch, Koumas, Moran, Cannon.
