Stoke 2017/18 Premier League season review
Sunday 13 May 2018 18:24, UK
Read on for our review of their campaign, complete with the views of Soccer Saturday pundit Charlie Nicholas.
Finishing position: 19th (-6)
Total points: 33 (-11)
FA Cup: Third round
Carabao Cup: Third round
Top scorer: Xherdan Shaqiri (8)
Stoke were the first team to be relegated from the Premier League as the former mid-table perennials endured a miserable campaign. Mark Hughes paid the price with his job in January and his replacement Paul Lambert was unable to arrest the slide.
There were times when Stoke looked likely to have enough. Even in December they were as high as 13th but home defeats to West Ham and Newcastle as well as an embarrassing FA Cup exit to fourth tier Coventry hinted at bigger problems and saw Hughes sacked.
Lambert won his first game in charge against Huddersfield to lift the Potters out of the drop zone but no wins from the next 13 games sealed their fate with Xherdan Shaqiri carrying too much of the creative burden. Questions have followed with the discipline of players and the recruitment process both being criticised. There is work to do now.
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Best day of 2017/18
Optimism was in the air back in August when Stoke beat Arsenal 1-0 in the opening home game of the season. Jese Rodriguez was the scorer of the goal and the loan signing from Paris Saint-Germain appeared to underline the ongoing progress being made by the club.
Worst day of 2017/18
There were lots of them. Heavy defeats and late goals conceded. But it was the 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace that confirmed Stoke's relegation as they surrendered a half-time lead in the process. It was a sorry way to end their 10-year stay in the Premier League.
CHARLIE NICHOLAS' VERDICT
Managerial review
I remember Stoke mocking Arsene Wenger and then complaining about the style of their own team, but who do they think they are? They're a family run club, close to their community spirit, so it irked me that they went after Mark Hughes. They said it was their best squad in the summer but I just couldn't see it and I think they have recruited badly other than Badou Ndiaye. The fact is simple that Peter Crouch is still their best centre-forward and that says it all. The Saido Berahino signing ruined Hughes, failing to get anything out of him, then Lambert couldn't work out how to get goals out of the team.
Player of year
Jack Butland had been but he made errors in the run in, so Xherdan Shaqiri has probably been their best player because he's the one who wanted to get on the ball and scored the goals which gave them a fighting chance.
2018/19 prospects
I think they're very strong contenders to bounce back up because they'll have the money to invest. The likes of Ryan Shawcross are gone and it should be a younger, fresher side next season.
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