Team Focus: New Look Stoke Lacking Identity and Direction
Though their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal was not unexpected, and Mark Hughes' side have had to endure a tricky start to the campaign, the early signs for this new look Stoke side aren’t as encouraging as anticipated.
The manner of Saturday's defeat to the Gunners was not befitting of a club that has worked so hard to defy the odds and establish itself as a regular Premier League fixture. Stoke conceded 29 shots at goal - the most in a game this season - and their defence, once so intimidating given the looming presence of Shawcross and Huth, now looks a little lightweight. The absence of the aforementioned club captain is proving to be a real blow.
So too is the loss of Steven N'Zonzi, who during Mark Hughes' time at the club established himself as Stoke's most technically gifted player ahead of a summer switch to Sevilla. From the side that Tony Pulis constructed to successfully retain Stoke's Premier League status it's only really Glenn Whelan, of those fit, that remains a regular starter.
The fact that Stoke's star player this season, without question, has not been Shaqiri, Afellay or Arnautovic, but Jack Butland speaks volumes. As yet the young keeper is the one real positive to take from the early stages of the campaign and were it not for his heroics things could have looked decidedly worse for The Potters. With a tally of 27, the 22-year old has made three more saves than any other keeper in the league.
Five games into the season Butland is deservedly the club's highest rated player (7.34), with Stoke the only Premier League side that don't have an outfielder with a rating of 7 or higher. That the side's three best players besides Butland are defenders Cameron (6.88), Pieters (6.81) and Muniesa (6.69) shows just how disjointed their attack has been to date, despite all the apparent prestige now within the ranks.
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The arrival of Xherdan Shaqiri meant that Stoke's squad included more Champions League winners than Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City combined. That, however, is pretty irrelevant given the playing time the likes of the Swiss international, Marko Arnautovic and ex-Barcelona trio Bojan, Marc Muniesa and Ibrahim Afellay were afforded with their former illustrious employers. That summer signing Joselu had an unfruitful three-year stint at Real Madrid is often overlooked, with the Potters now very much packed with the rejects of Europe's elite, with three former United players and Chelsea loanee Marco van Ginkel also on the books.
It is, of course, very early days but the signs thus far suggest that Hughes will struggle to find a blend of brawn and brilliance. Exactly how many of the players possess that brilliance is also up for debate. While Shaqiri and the returning Bojan may very well come good yet this season, playing more luxury players in the side is a risk that to now isn't paying off.
Arnautovic has shown glimpses of real quality since a move to the Britannia but is also painfully inconsistent, while those getting too excited by the signing of Ibrahim Afellay should consider that he has never come close to fulfilling his early potential. With an awful rating of 5.99 from WhoScored.com, owed in part to a nonsensical red card against West Brom, only two players to start more than twice in the league rank lower than the Dutchman.
Integrating such players has meant that Stoke have lost their former identity entirely and while the steady transition Mark Hughes had implemented in his first two seasons at the club was mightily impressive, the question stands whether he has gone too far. Formerly the land of the giants, tormenting opponents with an aerial bombardment, Stoke no longer really have a distinct style of play and the overhaul in personnel will take time to settle into one.
Between 2011/12 and 2013/14 Stoke won the most aerial duels per game in the league, peaking at a monumental 28.9 in Tony Pulis' final season at the club. While that figure dropped significantly after Hughes arrival the side still ranked second in the same statistic last season. After 5 matches this season they are second from bottom by comparison, winning just 11.6.
Moreover Stoke currently rank 18th in terms of long balls per game, with 53 more than only Arsenal and Manchester City, and 19th for fouls per game (8.4). Having ranked in the top two in each of the three seasons previous in terms of the latter, Stoke have lost some of the bite that saw them criticised by some and praised by others in near equal measure. They were a side that played to their strengths but those strengths are dissipating and identifying new ones is a tough task at present.
Turning their backs on direct, 'long ball' football, Stoke now don't stand out in any statistical category. That's not necessarily a criticism, but all fans love to talk about the style that their team are known for, which is often hard to pin down for the neutral. 'The West Ham way' springs to mind as one of those that has been lost for some time and is now tough to identify, but while 'the Stoke way' was abundantly clear not so long ago, it's hard to envisage Mark Hughes' masterplan now.
Following their summer's activity many predicted that Stoke were set to go from strength-to-strength this season but what is becoming apparent is that a player's former employer isn't necessarily an indicator for future success. Any potential for those signings to enjoy a return to Europe with Stoke seems a long way off and while it would be a shock to see them in and around the relegation zone for too long The Potters need to improve, and fast, in order to avoid taking a backwards step that many felt seemed unlikely.
Where do you think Stoke will finish this season? Let us know in the comments below
Definitely missing N'Zonzi. The Stoke midfield has a very soft centre. We (Arsenal) passed the ball through them at will and had minimal pressure. I agree with jage that Hughes is overrated but I disagree the signings themselves are bad, it's just the fact that Hughes doesn't know how to help the best attacking players flourish. Selling N'Zonzi is ok providing you bring in somebody younger and/or better but Whelan is the only DM and he is older and much worse. Van Ginkel is a box to box midfielder and Shaqiri at his best as 1 of a roaming 3 behind the 9, so it was imperative Hughes replaced Nzonzi if he wanted both of those to have an impact but he obviously hasn't. Given his relationship with Chelsea, Hughes should've asked for Loftus-Cheek on loan as well as van Ginkel. For some reason, prior to the season Mourinho rated Mikel above him but in every regard, RLC is already better. That wont be possible after his performance midweek however.
Thanks. Very good article. Have to say that Mark Hughes is very overrated manager. He doesn't know how to build a team in the transfer market. The summer signings show that they don't know what attributes Hughes is expecting from his new players. He just buys players who are best names or have good reputation. I don't see any clear plan. So far this season Stoke have looked like a relegation candidate. But Shawcross' return can be a big boost for Stoke.
True that. Good article.