Is a top six finish for Stoke City realistic after Whelan words?

Just two months ago, Stoke occupied a spot in the Premier League relegation zone after six matches, but 16 points from the last 21 on offer have propelled them from the bottom three to 11th place.

Away wins at Aston Villa, then Swansea City and Southampton, as Whelan alluded to above, have contributed considerably towards their move up the table.

What all three of these results have in common are they were victories to nil, with Hughes still maintaining the defensive discipline of Potters predecessor Tony Pulis, while the most recent pair have seen Bojan Krkic strike early.

Foreign legion of forwards

Having a player of the Spain cap’s quality fit and firing again after a career-threatening knee injury is held up as one of the triumphs of this Stoke side.

Poaching someone of Krkic’s calibre would’ve been unthinkable under Pulis, and Hughes continues to attract names from abroad with Ibrahim Afellay and Xherdan Shaqiri coup captures in the Potters’ supporting cast.

They both have plenty to prove, however, after being discarded by heavyweights of European football. Afellay, for example, never delivered on the promise he showed with PSV Eindhoven when swiftly snapped up by Barcelona.

Shaqiri switch sensational

Loan spells away from the Nou Camp at Schalke and Olympiakos followed, and he’s yet to score in a dozen outings for Stoke. Afellay must rectify that if Whelan’s dream comes true.

Shaqiri, meanwhile, needed convincing to join the Potters, initially turning down an approach from Hughes after disastrous six months at Inter Milan.

Pep Guardiola’s willingness to let the Swiss star move on from Bayern Munich did provoke questions and, like Afellay, Shaqiri is yet to net for Stoke.

End product needed

This must be addressed with only basement club Aston Villa scoring fewer than the Potters’ 11 Premier League goals.

Marko Arnautovic and Mame Biram Diouf join Bojan on three strikes apiece, while Whelan’s Republic of Ireland teammate Jon Walters has four across all competitions.

If Stoke can get everyone playing to their potential in attack to match defensive discipline, then Whelan’s wish of a top six finish might just be granted.

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