Stoke boss Narcis Pelach has identified the midfield as a key area that his side need to improve in order to win more matches.
The Potters have only claimed victory in five of their 22 Championship matches this season to find themselves in the bottom six heading into Christmas.
"We have to win more duels in the middle of the pitch, which we have lost a lot of in recent games. Not just duels but second balls as well," Pelach told BBC Radio Stoke.
"We lost physicality here with injuries, with Bosun Lawal and Ben Pearson.