Stoke City Maybe The Right Club To Relaunch Bojan’s Career

By Aakriti Mehrotra
10 years Ago

Bojan Krkic has all the attributes one could expect out of a La Masia product. He is skilful, has good balance, he is pacey and possesses wonderful dribbling skills. But these qualities have been there in his game always– and yet, he has failed to establish the hype that surrounded him when he burst into the scene on 16th September 2007. (He beat Lionel Messiai??i??s record as the youngest player to score in La Liga for BarAi??a at 17 years of age). He subsequently became the first footballer born in the 1990s to play in the Champions League.

In 2007/08 he made 48 appearance, scored 12 goals and set up another six. For a teenager these numbers are absolutely phenomenal. He was being called ‘the next Messi’ and people even argued that Krkic was better. His parents were fighting over which nation he gets to represent internationally- his mother is Catalan and father Serbian. He was called to the Spain squad. Bojan withdrew himself from it citing a panic attack. He was then called to the Euro 2008 Spain team, but he pulled out here as well.

He could not cope with all the expectations that were suddenly thrust upon these young shoulders, Krkic was certainly feeling the pressure.Ai?? And eventually, the peak became a plateau.

The second season was going to always be tough. And the change in management hurt Bojan the most. The loss of Frank Rijkaard was a huge blow for the young player. He spoke about it and said that the relationship he shared with the Dutchman is something which he didn’t share with anyone else. The present Bayern boss Pep Guardiola took charge of the Barcelona team and Bojan’s first team appearances became limited. He receded to the bench and when he did feature for the team, his impact naturally lessened. After three seasons under Pep, Bojan was bought by AS Roma (in a complicated deal which included a buyback clause). The Spaniard left without saying goodbye to his coach as the two enjoyed a strained relationship over the three years. Later that year he even said that he won’t return to the club if Guardiola called him, “If Guardiola calls me now I would not go back to Barcelona.Ai??I spent a long time without speaking to Guardiola. I could not find the right words when I used to see him. I do not think I got what I deserved there.”

Roma seemed a natural fit as it was managed by Luis Enrique, ex-Barca player himself, someone who would know how to get the best out of the player. He got enough game time over the season, and even though heAi??scored seven goals in his first season, his form remained inconsistent and patchy. More than anything, his lack of mental toughness was being brought to question. More often than not,Ai??Spanish forwards have struggled in Italy and this was the case with Bojan too.

At the end of that season, Luis Enrique left the club, and Bojan was to follow. He was sent on loan to Milan. There, he didn’t impress much, and was subsequently only used from the bench (14 times). During his time with the club, he ended up scoring just three goals. Milan were keen to get rid of him, so much so that it was reported that the club had to buy him permanently from the Rome club if he accumulated certain number of appearances. So towards the end of the season, the club simply stopped using him! Imagine having such a treatment meted out to a professional, any professional- what a blow it would have been for his confidence!

At the end of the 2012/13 deal, he went back to Barcelona. He was told by the club that he could look for another club and was eventually loaned for the season to Ajax. His performances in the pre-season had the Ajax fans excited as it seemed that the real Bojan is back. However, during the course of the season, the player could only manage five goals in 32 matches in all competitions.

On 22 July 2014, it was announced that Stoke City Ai??had bought the player for an undisclosed fee. The transfer sum is supposed to be around A?3million, something which makes this a coup for Mark Hughes as it of course carries minimal risk.

The challenge for Bojan is to restart his once very promising career and to realize his potential.The challenge for Stoke is to help Bojan do so. Basically, Bojan needs to get firing again. And if anyone can do it, it’s Sparky.

Hughes has become a fan-favorite at the Britannia, after just one season in charge. He has already helped the club finish in the 9th spot- its highest finish in about 40 years. (1974/75 season-where they finished 5th), helped his side notch up the most number of points in a single Premier League season. But most importantly, Stoke now have a style of play which is more than just playing long balls and putting bodies on the line.

Oussama Assaidi was on loan from Liverpool last season at Stoke, and while Liverpool never really tried to get the best out of him, the Moroccan did exceedingly well for Hughes every-time he stepped on the pitch. It became prominent exactly why the Reds bought Asssaidi in the first place.Ai??Peter Odemwingie and Stephen Ireland are two other players who have benefited from Mark Hughes management in just the last year.

The signs are promising already. Bojan has already scored for Stoke in three of the Potters’ pre-season friendlies.

The 23 year old can be deployed anywhere in the attack- on the flanks, as a number ten or centrally up-front. However, Hughes has to find out the best place for the player and use him accordingly. At present, the logical area to play him seems centrally. As a forward (in the false nine role), the player will have the freedom to roam in front, create chances for his teammates as well as poach on any that come his way. Ai??But with Crouch’s traditional-physical-striker presence in the side, it seems more likely that Hughes will use himAi??one of the wings. He would be required to exchange quick passes with his teammatesAi??and regularly cut in centrally, sharing the striker responsibilities with Crouch.

Both Stoke and Bojan himself know now that there is nothing to lose. As visible from the pre-season, the player seems hungry for success and as visible from the numerous interviews given by Mark Hughes, the club wants to help the player get back to his old ways.Ai??If Sparky manages to succeed, we might see the Bojan who was tipped to be the next Ballon d’ Or winner, in the coming months.

Categories: Barcelona, English Premier League, Features, Spanish La Liga
Tags: AC Milan Ajax AS Roma Barcelona Bojan KrkiAi??Mark Hughes Stoke City

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