Stoke's Carabao Cup exit to Bradford City will probably go down as a missed opportunity for a number of the players brought in by Mark Robins to a team showing 10 changes from the one that won at Southampton at the weekend.
The Potters are flying in the league and have been fielding a consistent XI for the most part leaving one or two fit players stuck on the outside looking in.
The tie against Bradford was an early-season chance for those involved to give Robins a problem when he sits down to pick a team for Saturday's Championship game against West Bromwich Albion and food for thought for the international break.