da pinnacle： Three years on from his arrival from Barcelona, the uncertainty over Bojan’s future at Stoke City after spending the second half of last season out on loan is not only an indictment on the one-time next-Messi-prodigy’s ever-stuttering career, but also the revolution in philosophy Mark Hughes brought to the Bet365 Stadium following Tony Pulis’ abrupt dismissal back in summer 2013.
da aviator aposta： Measuring in at just 5 foot 7 and famed far more for his diminutive, technical qualities than physicality or industriousness, Bojan’s move to the Potteries twelve months on from Pulis’ departure further highlighted the tactical shift between Hughes and his predecessor, whose emphasis on attritional football had taken Stoke from the depths of the Championship to the middle of the top flight but eventually proved to be the sword he fell on. The fans were bored, the board were bored and the progress had plateaued.
Hughes offered a more expansive style of play and after a solid first season in the dugout that saw Stoke record an all-time highest ninth-place finish in the Premier League, Bojan was one of the signings to further implement it – to accelerate what had been a steady, season-long transition from Pulis’ ideals to a brand of football that would make Stoke a more desirable club for fans, investors, neutrals and future signings alike.
Bojan, of course, was not alone in that regard, as Stoke City’s transfer policy transformed from signing players like Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson on free transfers to taking educated punts on players famed for but struggling to deliver on impressive technical quality. Alongside Bojan, Marko Arnautovic, Xherdan Shaqiri and Joe Allen all fall into that category – all were signed on the idea of unfulfilled potential that they’d finally reach under Hughes’ guidance.
But here’s a little misnomer about the word revolution; it’s root word isn’t revolt, rather revolve. And four years on from the revolution Hughes promised at the Potteries, in terms of results, it has indeed gone full circle. Pulis left the Potters in 13th place following an end-of-season freefall that essentially swayed opinion against him; four campaigns, a raft of quirky signings and around £89million spent in transfer fees later, Hughes’ Stoke finished last term in exactly the same position, just two points better off than at the end of 2012/13.
There are other signs of the revolution running out of steam too. Whereas investments in Bojan and Giannelli Imbula simply haven’t paid off, the slow rate of progress has pushed Arnautovic into joining one of Stoke’s closest divisional rivals in West Ham – a club the Potters should be competing with for league position, at a bare minimum, during any given season.
Likewise, for all the emphasis on more exciting, fluid and attractive football, it was the 6 foot 7, 36-year-old Peter Crouch Hughes felt forced to turn to last season as results went awry and the need to improve them took precedent over style.
Accordingly, Stoke averaged the least possession, 47.2%, and the most long-balls per match, 67, last season of any of Hughes’ four campaigns in charge, whilst their percentage of goals from open play, just 58.5%, also reached an all-time low under the Welshman. Two terms previous, it was an impressive 77%, and despite netting the same amount one term previous, 41 goals, the open play ratio was still 71%. Much like results, the balance between aesthetics and pragmatism has started to go full circle as well.
Of course, no single season should define a tenure and for all of 2016/17’s misgivings, Hughes achieved a higher Premier League finish than Pulis ever managed in three consecutive seasons whilst improving the style of play and spending comparatively less than many of the club’s divisional rivals. In that sense, the Welshman has met the board’s brief and arguably justified the controversial season to let Pulis go.
At the same time, however, last season can’t be ignored and in combination with three ninth-place finishes in a row previously, there is a feeling that the club has once again plateaued – and that the philosophical revolution under Hughes’ guidance can only take the club so far. Likewise, for all the criticism that came Pulis’ way in 2013 from not only Potters fans but also neutrals and pundits, it’s taken him less time using just £1million more to drive West Brom from 16th upon his arrival in January 2015 to 10th place last season – three positions better than Stoke, despite Hughes having an 18-month head start.
As much as it’s about results and style of play, however, Bojan’s increasing irrelevance and Arnautovic’s impending departure raise questions over Hughes’ man-management as well. Signing players famed for unreliable brilliance and in some cases notorious for mercurial mentalities, getting the best out of them was always going to rest on Hughes’ ability to motivate and discipline, to keep the likes of Bojan and Arnautovic focused. Although we’ve hardly heard bust-up horror stories coming out of the Potteries, Stoke have gained a reputation for being the most inconsistent side in the Premier League, beating Spurs away one week and losing at home to soon-to-be relegated Burnley the next – as they did in 2014/15.
Once again, judging Hughes on last season alone would be to ignore the remaining 75% of his time at Stoke, the vast majority of which saw him outperform Pulis on most criteria. But as Hughes enters the final two years of his Stoke contract, there are now serious questions lingering over him.
Why is a key player in Arnautovic leaving for a club that finished just two places higher last season, citing a lack of ambition? Why are signings like Bojan, Imbula and Xherdan Shaqiri not finding that consistency their moves to Stoke seemingly offered the platform for? Why did Stoke finish last term in 13th, a final ranking Pulis only fared worse than once during his five top-flight campaigns as Potters boss? Why did Hughes finish three places lower and ten goals worse off than his predecessor last season? And combining the potential answers of all; firstly, has the Hughes revolution run out of steam and secondly, has it actually proved more beneficial than if the club had stuck by Pulis?
Over the next 24 months, should Hughes survive that long, we’ll discover the answers – but whether Hughes recycles the £24million from Arnautovic’s departure to further implement his stylistic ideals or seek a more balanced, pragmatic approach will play a huge part.