Four reasons why this season’s English Premier League is worth it

3. A paradigm shift in tactics: Stoke playing passes?

With the ever-changing modern game, EPL managers have had to change their general strategy. Gone are the days of a static two-man midfield, with two wingers hugging the outside-line and two strikers playing for second balls. The mantra of the modern game is high intensity pressing combined with a more possession based football, either that or a quick Dortmund-like transitional football. Swansea have done it, Liverpool have done it, even Chelsea are doing it well at the centre, but what about the teams who are known for their tall and burly men who take on their opponents even without the ball at their feet? Shockingly, even the lower ranked teams are changing their approach, not to imitate a playing style but rather to be more pragmatic in approach. In their first match under new manager Mark Hughes, Stoke City fans were heard chanting, “We’re Stoke City, we’re passing the ball.” If Stoke City are changing, then certainly the EPL is undergoing a real shift in general strategy.