Stoke were aiming to consolidate on the good work done in the previous season and Mark Hughes managed to strengthen the squad over the summer with a few decent signings. Bojan Krkic was the one who caught the eye the most, the former Barcelona prodigy looking to re-invigorate his career in what was an unlikely move. Mame Biram Diouf was the new man expected to lead the line after arriving on a free transfer, while Victor Moses seemed like a good capture on loan as well. Stoke stunned Manchester City for a 1:0 win at the Etihad just two weeks into the season but were generally inconsistent and frustrating in the early weeks. They suffered defeats to limited sides like Leicester and Aston Villa and struggled to put back-to-back good performances. That meant that the Potters were in mid-table from the start of the season and never really managed to do better than just reside in and around the tenth place. Hughes was sticking to the basics and his side were defending well in most games while being a dangerous and incisive opponent on the counter, with their direct wingers and physical presence up front providing a nuisance. Bojan started to enjoy a rich vein of form from November onwards and inspired the team to memorable wins away at Tottenham and at home against Arsenal. There was good football on show by the Potters at that stage of the season but they still found it hard to really step up on the accelerator and put genuine pressure on the teams above them. That said, their form at the start of 2015 left little to be criticised as they won seven out of 11 games in the league, dropping points only against the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle during that run. Hughes was getting the most of his united and determined side, with the solid base provided in midfield the backbone to success. Bojan’s serious knee injury at the end of January was a downer but Stoke kept going even without their main creative force, picking up some solid wins and building up confidence. They eventually lost a bit of momentum after losing three games in a row and winning just once in the last seven. But the final two home games of the season were excellent as Stoke first easily defeated Tottenham 3:0 and then threw an absolutely hammering on Liverpool on the final day of the season, destroying the Merseysiders 6:1 for what is a result that will go down in the history books. It proved enough for their biggest points tally in their Premier League tenure and generally there is a lot to admire about this dogged, but definitely purposeful and impressive Stoke side.
