Pulis defends team selection
Tony Pulis has defended his team selection for the clash in Valencia and says he’s proud of the players and fans effort in Spain.
Stoke’s fans have waited for over 40 years for another European adventure and have enjoyed their tour across the continent, the Potters winning seven of their 12 matches in the Europa League.
Having come through a tough group which contained Besiktas and Dynamo Kyiv, Stoke were paired with Spanish giant Valencia in the last-32 of the competition.
A 1-0 defeat at the Britannia Stadium left Stoke with a mountain to climb heading into the second leg at the Mestalla, although with nearly 7,000 fans travelling to cheer them on it might have felt more like a home game.
Despite a one-goal deficit Pulis decided to fielded a weakened team and took only 15 players to Spain, leaving the likes of Peter Crouch, Matthew Etherington, Ryan Shawcross and Jon Walters at home.
Pulis has defended his team selection, insisting the team he put out had done well in the Europa League previously and claims he was still proud of the way his fans and players represented the club.
Pulis told reporters: “They were fantastic and they will remember this. We estimated nearly 7,000 all around the ground and they were brilliant. I really hope in the next few years we can do it again. People in Spain, especially in Valencia, will know Stoke City.
“The team I played today is the team that have played the majority of games in Europe. I don’t know what all the fuss is about.
“But negative press sells better than positive press. We’re disappointed because it’s been such a positive run, such a great adventure for everyone at the football club.”