Saturday 2 January 2016 16:20, UK
Ibrahim Afellay has credited Mark Hughes for changing Stoke's style of football, but says they are still a work in process.
When Hughes took over the Potters in 2013, they were largely associated with long-ball tactics and physical play.
But this season they have won plenty of plaudits for their attacking abilities, even being dubbed 'Stokealona' by the Catalan press after their 2-0 victory over Manchester City.
"Stoke did not play like this before," Afellay told Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday. "Mark Hughes changed this and he is still working on the process. I want to be a part of this process, that's why I am here.
"If you go to watch a game you hope to see good football, that is why people come to the stadium. You have to work very hard and if you do that then the football comes. We have the quality to play."
Stoke have finished ninth in the Premier League under Hughes for the last two seasons but they start the New Year just six points off the top four.
Asked if fans should be looking up the table, Afellay said: "Everything is positive at the moment, but we have to be realistic. You never forget where you came from, this is very important.
"To have ambitions is good as well, so let's see where this season can take us."
Afellay, who joined Stoke in the summer of 2015, has been a regular starter in the last month with the Potters winning four of their last six matches.
The former Barcelona winger says he is enjoying playing with the likes of Bojan Krkic, Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri.
"I like creative players who can make a difference if you are playing a game and you cannot find a solution," he said.
"This kind of player can always make a difference in a split second and it's always good to have these kind of players in the team.
"I think the balance now is very good. The most important thing is if somebody goes left, you go right, this kind of communication is automatic and the four at the back are doing a very good job and our goalkeeper is very young but he is fantastic.
"He gets a lot of points for us and I hope he will continue like this."
Watch the full interview with Ibrahim Afellay on Soccer Saturday from midday on Sky Sports News HQ.
