Brighton boss Poyet’s FA Cup warning for Crawley
Portsmouth V Brighton championship League Fratton Park Saturday 13/8/2011 15:00 Credit: Barry Zee
GUS POYET has warned Crawley that although FA Cup opponents Stoke are predictable, it doesn’t make playing them any easier.
Poyet’s Brighton & Hove Albion faced the Premier League side in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup last year, and experienced first hand how difficult it is to combat their renowned bully-boy tactics.
Having made the long trip from all the way up to the Britannia, Poyet’s side were blown away by a trademark aerial bombardment in the first half and never recovered, disappointingly losing the tie 3-0.
Unlike Brighton, Reds will at least have home advantage. Still the Uruguayan - usually an advocate of free-flowing passing football - says Steve Evans’ men must match their opponents physically.
“It’s difficult,” Poyet said, who takes his Seagulls to Liverpool this weekend. “But the good thing about playing Stoke is you know what’s going to happen, so you need to be ready for that.
“We thought we were ready (last year) but we were not, because after 20 minutes we were already 2-0 down.
“You know what is coming and you know how you need to train, what you have to do. Everything is there and I think it’s very easy for the opposition manager to prepare for it. The problem then is you need to compete on the pitch with the big lads.”
“When you play other teams like, say Real Madrid or Man City, even if you think (you’re doing well) a player or two can do something really special and change the game.
“So with Stoke you know, you don’t compete (physically) you’ve got no chance. It’s a straightforward game but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.”
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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