Premier League Preview: Expect another top-10 finish from evolved Stoke City

2013-14 was a breakthrough season for Stoke City as they managed to create history by finishing ninth, their first finish inside top ten in England’s top flight. Their highest ever finish was 11th and they had never amassed more than 47 points in a season (2009-10). But with the arrival of the new manager - Mark Hughes - there was a complete turnaround. It’s amazing what difference four months can make — the Potters were in the relegation zone at the end of January last season but they bounced back and lost just three of their last fourteen games to finish 17 points above relegation in a show of great fight and determination. Gone are the days of the unattractive brand of football Stoke played under Tony Pulis. Hughes changed it around completely, formulating possession based football. The overall philosophy of play changed — attack laced with sturdy defense was the mantra. It’s difficult to change the entire brand of football in short period of time, but Stoke did it. Adding Erik Pieters, Marko Arnautovic, Marc Muniesa, Stephen Ireland, Oussama Assaidi, Peter Odemwingie to the roster last season worked wonders. [caption id=“attachment_1663809” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Arnautovic and Odemwingie. Reuters[/caption] The Potters will go into the 2014-15 season high on confidence, the fact that there are no notable departures means that the core of the team is still present and they have strengthened further with good activity in the transfer market. Ex-Manchester United striker Mame Biram Diouf will strengthen their forward line and 21-year old talented defender Dionatan Teixeira signed from Slovakian team Banska Bystrica is one for the future. Steve Sidwell has been signed from Fulham on a free transfer and will fight for a place in central midfield while another experienced league campaigner Phil Bardsley has arrived on a free transfer from Sunderland to provide adequate back-up to an already strong defensive unit consisting of Pieters, Robert Huth, Ryan Shawcross and Geoff Cameron. The most exciting signing of the summer though is former Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic. Once termed a ‘wonderkid’ for his prodigious talents, Bojan broke into Barcelona’s first-team at the age of 17 and showed glimpses of sheer class. It’s somehow hard to imagine that he has lost his way and there is a sharp downward spiral in his career since leaving the Catalan side. But Stoke will be hoping that they will witness a re-invigorated version of Bojan. His addition will inject much-needed pace and will further bolster the forward line consisting of Peter Crouch, Jonathan Walters and Diouf. Experienced star shot-stopper Asmir Begovic and central defender Shawcross will again play a crucial role this season. Shawcross had a brilliant outing last season; he was rock solid at the back and improved on his passing too (his accuracy shot up from 65% to 74% last season). Arnautovic, a versatile and technically gifted player, was a constant threat to the opposition down the left. He was impressive last season creating the most number of assists for Stoke in the League (7). He along with Bojan will be the players to watch out this season. Stoke’s success last season was built on their home form — they won 10, drew six and lost just three at the Britannia Stadium. But their away form needs to improve drastically if the want to aim higher. They won just three games away from home and lost 11. Hughes too has had problems with away form in his managerial career at Manchester City and that’s where he needs to work on in this campaign. They also need to improve on their disciplinary record. Last season they received 80 cards (75 yellow and five red) — the most in the league. All in all, it will be another exciting season for The Potters. They will carry forward the confidence of last campaign. They have strengthened the squad considerably and have a settled and experienced bunch of players. Considering the strength of the teams above them, it would be difficult to improve on the last season — but even matching it would be a great achievement — and they’re perfectly capable of a repeat. Prediction: Stoke City to finish 9th again this season Ins: Bojan Krkic, Dionatan Teixeira, Mame Biram Diouf, Phil Bardsley, Steve Sidwell. Out: Michael Kightly, Jordan Keane, Ed Sanders, Karim Rossi sold/loaned. Juan Agudelo, Lucas Dawson, Matthew Etherington, Kevin Gomez-Nieto, Ben Heneghan, Jordan Richardson all released. Squad (there may be changes to squad): Asmir Begovic, Phil Bardsley, Erik Pieters, Robert Huth, Marc Muniesa, Glenn Whelan, Stephen Ireland, Wilson Palacios,Peter Odemwingie,Marko Arnautovic, Steven Nzonzi, Charlie Adam, Ryan Shawcross, Mame Biram Diouf, Jon Walters, Geoff Cameron, Steve Sidwell, Peter Crouch, Dionatan Teixeira, Brek Shea, Marc Wilson, Jack Butland, Andy Wilkinson, Thomas Sorensen, Ryan Shotton, Cameron Jerome.