It’s all been a bit of a Déjà vu for the Stoke City fans. The Potters once again started woefully and were bottom of the heap for three game weeks. Three miserable defeats suffered against Everton, Tottenham and Crystal Palace got the fans on Hughes’ back but as seen before, he has masterminded a turnaround. Some of the key players have stepped up in recent times and none more so that Joe Allen. To be fair, though, he was the only bright spot in Stoke’s miserable start to the season.
Hughes does have some brilliant attacking players up his sleeve but consistency has haunted them. That, along with a bit of nonchalance, shown by Ibrahimović wannabe Marko Arnautovic, has hampered them at times.
It’s going to be a daunting festive period for Stoke as they will take on Liverpool and then Chelsea, the top two sides in the Premier League. What makes it worse is that the team will be lacking the confidence after dramatically throwing away a two-goal lead against the 10-men of Leicester City. The failure to see out the game was a massive body blow as they are underdogs to take points from Anfield and Stamford Bridge. If results don’t go their way, Stoke could well plummet down the table pretty soon.
Amongst all the negative news, the only good thing is the potential return of Ibrahim Afellay. The Dutchman had ruptured his knee ligaments in April. After a long eight-month recuperation, he appeared for the Stoke u23 side last week.
Stoke need some creative flair as they are 12th in the league in terms of chances created. While they have some nimble-footed players, the likes of Shaqiri and Arnautovic have often flattered to deceive and the good performances have come in patches. The chances created ranking is a near-apt representation of where they lie in the league as well (considering they are one spot better in terms of points collected in 11th).
I’m not saying Afellay will make a huge impact immediately at Anfield or Stamford Bridge, but if he can be played in that number 10 role, Stoke’s midfield could find a better balance. Joe Allen could slot alongside Imbula in the pivot, which will permit more creativity from the deeper areas and Afellay, an out and out attacking midfielder, can use his elusiveness to bring more players into the game, something which isn’t Allen’s forte. His dribbling ability and passing are impressive as well.
Last season was Afellay’s first full season at the club and towards the last few months, he was settling really well in the number 10 role and was a key figure in everything Stoke created. Having him back will be a massive boost for the Potters.
