Daniel Marsh’s four takeaways from Millwall’s stalemate at Stoke – Lions badly need fresh blood in January transfer window
Millwall’s winless run stretched to seven matches following a 0-0 draw against Stoke City on Saturday.
Both sides produced little in the way of quality and the Lions managed just two shots in total against the Potters, who remain a point and place above them in the table.
Here are Daniel Marsh’s takeaways from the match at the Bet365 Stadium.
NO CUTTING EDGE
Millwall’s defence has been uncharacteristically porous this term, so recording a first shutout in six against Stoke should give Joe Edwards’ side something to build upon during the festive period.
However, their inability to fashion chances against a poor side should set alarm bells ringing.
Although Millwall took far better care of the ball, there was little in the way of quality to trouble Stoke in the final third. The fact only two shots were mustered in total all afternoon tells a concerning yet familiar story.
The team were far too deep when they had possession to cause Stoke any major headaches. And on the occasions they did get in the vicinity of Stoke’s penalty area, either poor decision-making or a dearth of quality killed any hope of a breakthrough.
Millwall’s creativity crisis long precedes Edwards, but sadly, there were plenty of old habits on display up in Staffordshire.
SARKIC STEPS UP
Matija Sarkic has had it tough since moving to SE16 in the summer.
After spending months on the sideline with a quad injury, the goalkeeper then cost Millwall precious points with errors in back-to-back games against Cardiff and Ipswich after coming back in ahead of Bart Bialkowski.
But this was far more like it from Sarkic, who looked a completely different player against the club he spent time on loan with last year.
He exuded confidence while dealing with plenty of balls into the box and marshalled Millwall’s defence with a steely air of authority during a second-half bombardment.
This was exactly the type of solid showing Sarkic needed after a tough spell.
Millwall can be a hard place to build confidence and, to date, he’s not lived up to his billing after arriving for a seven-figure fee. His showing against Stoke should give him a much needed boost.
QPR A MUST-WIN
Given both sides’ standing in the league, the Boxing Day clash looked like a game Millwall couldn’t really afford to lose a week ago.
But after accumulating just two points from matches against Huddersfield and Stoke – two other teams in and around the relegation zone – Tuesday’s derby now has much more riding on it.
It’s now no wins in seven for Millwall and the natives are getting restless. The relegation zone is, for the first time in a long time, now far too close for comfort.
A win – particularly at The Den – would be priceless given Millwall’s current plight and recent form.
The Lions simply can’t afford to head into the New Year without taking advantage of at least one of the matches against teams in and around them. As it stands, QPR is their last chance to do so – and it’s now a must-win match.
JANUARY PLANS MUST CHANGE
It’s hard not to feel at least a little bit sorry for Edwards right now.
This isn’t his squad and it’s noticeable that he’s toned down elements of the plans he implemented in the earlier games of his tenure to suit a squad which is totally bereft of belief and, on recent evidence, low on quality.
Edwards and Alex Aldridge have already played down the chances of major surgery in January, but boy does this team need some help.
We have a squad build to play with a back five, but we don’t create chances playing that shape. The personnel doesn’t suit it (even though on paper some should). The lack of pace in advanced areas continues to handicap us and the majority of our play is pedestrian and predictable.
To put it bluntly, Millwall need fresh blood. Badly.
Everybody knows the club spent a significant amount in the summer and we don’t have endless riches to delve into. But we need to get inventive and make things happen, because otherwise it could be a long old slog until May.
January is a notoriously tricky window to get right, but Millwall need to attack it. Much more than the remainder of this season is likely to hinge on what happens January 1 and February.
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