The new season of the "Premier" league will start on August 13, which means that there are only 8 days left until the start of the English championship. As the competitions are approaching, Eurofootball.com will provide you with a review of all twenty "Premier" league teams.
This time, we will review the team "Stoke City", which finished in ninth place in the "Premier" league last season for the third consecutive year.
"Stoke City"
History:
The team was founded in 1863 and will play its ninth season in the "Premier" league. Their best finish in this league was 9th place.
Last season:
The 2015-2016 "Premier" league season proved that "Stoke City" is the most stable team in this league. They finished in ninth place for the third consecutive year, and their points tally over these years was very similar (50, 54, and 51).
Changes after last season:
After last season, the team retained all its key players - the club only parted ways with Steve Sidwell and Peter Odemwingie, who barely had any opportunities in the previous season.
The team added two newcomers in the off-season, from whom the club hopes to receive a different contribution in the upcoming season. If the 19-year-old Ramadan Sobhi, acquired for 5 million euros, is bought with the expectation that he will shine in the future, then based on Joe Allen's results and good play, they will want it now. The club did not spare 15.5 million euros for the 26-year-old Welsh national team defender, which went to Allen's former club - "Liverpool".
Players worth paying attention to:
Jack Butland. Butland's game last season not only allowed him to secure the starting goalkeeper position at "Stoke City", but also brought him back to the England national team. However, at the age of 23, an injury marred his season, forcing him to miss the European Championship. Having become the main goalkeeper in the "Premier" league last season, Butland, returning to the season after the injury, will have to prove once again that he can successfully play in this league. If he succeeds in doing so, his next task will be to try to take away the starting goalkeeper position from Joe Hart in the England team.
Joe Allen. Last season, Allen did not stand out in the "Premier" league - having only appeared in the starting lineup eight times, he played a total of 19 games and scored two goals and made a decisive pass. A completely different player can be seen in the Wales national team - there he is one of the key players, helping his team reach the top four European teams this summer. "Stoke City" should give this player much more playing time than he received in the "reds" team, and how he will use it, we will see next season.
Xherdan Shaqiri. Joining the "Bayern" team, at the age of 21, he scored four goals and made six assists in his first season in the "Bundesliga", and a very bright future was predicted for him. However, Shaqiri later had fewer opportunities with the Bavarians, and eventually he was loaned out to Italy for half a season. Before last season, many were surprised when "Stoke City" announced the acquisition of this player who had already shown in his first season that he can play top-level football. He was the player who created the most opportunities for his teammates in the team, and also scored three times. This player is still only 24, so the best years of his career are still ahead of him.
Team strengths:
Creating opportunities with short passes. In the 2015-2016 season, "Stoke City" created the fewest opportunities with long passes and was also one of the worst teams in the league in terms of executing set pieces and playing counterattacks, so the team relied on short passing game. Although these passes were usually made in their own zones and "Stoke City" spent the least time in the opposition's third of all "Premier" league teams, this style of play brought them successful results during the past season.
Productive goals. Last season, "Stoke City" lost by three or more goals only six times, while they themselves failed to beat the opponents. However, when they managed to score, they usually won points. In 25 games where "Stoke City" scored at least one goal, they achieved 14 victories, played six draws, and had to concede the opponent's advantage five times. Each of their goals on average brought them 1.24 points, and in this indicator, they only slightly lagged behind the “West Bromwich Albion” team.
Successful performance against leaders. Last season, "Stoke City" took points from all seven teams occupying the top seven positions. Against these clubs, they managed to win 16 points, and such results against the leading teams helped them secure the ninth position in the league. The only three clubs against which they did not win points last year - the elevated "Liverpool" team and the "West Bromwich Albion" and "Crystal Palace" teams remaining at the bottom of the table.
Interesting facts about "Stoke City":
"Stoke City" is the oldest team in the "Premier" league. It is believed that only "Notts County", which was founded a year earlier, surpasses them in terms of the professional club founding date worldwide;
The best achievement of the club in the highest English league is 4th place. However, the last time they finished this high was nearly 70 years ago;
The only significant title of the club - won the league cup in 1972;
Their biggest win in the "Premier" league was in 2015, when they beat "Liverpool" 6-1. The most painful defeat was experienced in 2010, losing 0-7 to the "Chelsea" team;
In their first season in the "Premier" league, the team lost their first game against "Bolton Wanderers" and the betting website Paddy Power decided to pay out winnings to all who bet before the season predicting that "Stoke City" would be relegated from the league. This decision cost them dearly, as the team ultimately finished in 12th place, comfortably remaining in the competition;
The player with the most appearances in this club is Eric Keels - 582. The player who scored the most goals is John Ritchie - 176.
