Swansea City defeated promotion rivals Leeds United 3-0 at the Liberty Stadium early today to go within two points of Championship leaders QPR.
I have to admit I am not usually the biggest fan of the English second tier but this season I have really enjoyed watching the Championship. And Swansea are one of the reasons why.
Stylish
The Swans are now renowned for the style of football they try to play. They try to play football the right way, unlike some teams with less talented players in the Championship. The club have played this way for a number of years and came close to promotion.
However it looks like they have now found a way to combine their passing style with winning games, which they couldn’t quite perfect under previous bosses Roberto Martinez and Paulo Sousa.
All the Swansea players seem comfortable with the ball at their feet and usually know what to do with it. They tend to retain possession really well and in my opinion that’s rare to see from a team in the lower leagues.
Student
Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers is a real student of the game. He, like most managers I suppose wants his side to play like Barcelona. He tries to set out his team to play in the same way that Pep Guardiola’s side do.
It may be ambitious but it is a philosophy that is working for the Welsh side. Rodgers has been a highly-rated coach for some time and was a coach during Jose Mourinho’s successful spell at Chelsea. He has also previously enjoyed short but unsuccessful managerial spells at Watford and Reading.
Swansea appointed him despite those spells, as he still had a high reputation for being a promising coach. He never doubted his own ability and has stuck to his football philosophy. His faith in his way of doing things looks set to pay off for the Swans.
Defence
Although they like to play the passing game Swansea also have a superb defensive record, especially at the Liberty Stadium. The Welsh side have conceded just six goals on their home patch. Keeper Dorus De Dries is second only to Paddy Kenny at QPR for clean sheets kept in the Championship this season.
The Dutchman was a centre-half until his mid teens and has proved a big success for Swans. Not only is he a superb keeper but is comfortable with the ball at his feet. He is the last line of defence but in front of him Alan Tate and Ashley Williams are a good solid centre-back partnership.
Tate is an old-fashioned rough and tough centre-back and is a great leader of his defence. Williams is a more technically gifted player and likes to come out of defence with the ball. Williams has attracted the interest from the likes of Premier League Aston Villa and Everton.
They both have their qualities but together they are the perfect combination of brain and brawn. The pair is one of the reasons the club have been so hard to beat this season. Swansea are the kings of the 1-0 victory and you can’t win 1-0 if you have a poor defence.
Star
Swansea’s star this season has been top scorer Scott Sinclair. The former-Chelsea winger has been a sensation since moving to Swansea and he keeps scoring vital goals for the club. His double against Leeds took his tally for the season to 21 goals.
Sinclair had been talked about as a future star for a long time and had spent loans spells at other clubs. However it wasn’t until he moved to Swansea that he started to fulfil his potential.
Promotion
In the past Swansea have failed to achieve promotion to the Premier League because they haven’t had the consistent or strength in-depth to finish the season strongly.
However there now seems a sense in the Championship that they have the squad to finish strongly and reach the Holy Grail of the Premier League. I for one wouldn’t be disappointed if they reached the English top flight.
There’s a long way to go in the Championship season and anything could happen but there is a belief in the Swansea camp that the Premier League dream is very much on and I think that belief is well placed.
Will Swansea achieve promotion this season?
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