Crawley boss, Gabriele Cioffi, has stated that Stoke are 'not working' after his side were able to knock out the lowly Championship club on Tuesday night.

The Potters were left to pick themselves up after another poor performance that led to the side getting knocked out on penalties by League Two, Crawley.

Nathan Jones' side remain winless in the league and the defeat on Tuesday night will be another blow to the confidence of his team, and the future of his job.

Cioffi has now led his team to the last-16 of the Carabao Cup and had knocked out Premier League side Norwich before Stoke.

The Crawley boss has expressed his feelings about the situation at Stoke describing it as a difficult moment for Jones' team.

Speaking to StokeonTrentLive, Cioffi said: "We said to each other before the game only the dreamer (wins) and we are dreaming.

"The most important thing was that we played in our DNA - an aggressive football with stamina, energy and desire.

"And of course, you have to be lucky, lucky that Stoke are in a difficult moment.

"They have a good football idea but at the moment they are not working.

"They lost a bit of confidence and I am very happy."

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The Verdict

Cioffi sensed that Stoke were under so much pressure and he clearly targeted that loss of confidence.

He's stated that the Potters are not working and it's clear to see that is the case on the pitch, and Jones will be under a huge amount of pressure heading into Friday's game with Nottingham Forest.

Everyone they play can sense that the confidence levels have dropped, and if the Potters concede, the game then seems to turn even if they've had a bright start. It'll be tough to recover from this spell and maybe a change in management is what they need now.