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Swansea City- A Touch of Pass

When Swansea City defeated Reading 4-2 in the Play-off final last season, few thought they would survive in the turmoil of the Premier League. Plagued with inexperience, very few of the players in their side had experienced Premier League football. After a short burst through the divisions, spanning managers from Roberto Martinez to Brendan Rodgers, Swansea made it. Now, more than half way into their maiden PL campaign, we take a look at how Rodgers’ men have fared in the best league in the world.

Swansea have shot through the divisions using a style of football that hasn’t changed since day one. Their emphasis on playing short, fast attacking football has seen critics and fans alike hurling praise in the Swan’s direction. Rodgers’ preference of playing three in midfield means that teams are often swamped in the middle of the park, leaving Swansea’s little magicians to run havoc in the opposition half. And on recent performances, magic may just be the perfect description. Leon Britton currently has the best passing accuracy in Europe, with an astounding 93.3%, 0.3% better than Xavi of Barcelona. Joe Allen is also in the top 5 for this category, with a 90%+ success rate to his name.

This ball retention in midfield has led to more opportunities for Swansea’s fast, skilful wide men to make their mark on Premier League defences. Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer both offer pace, skill and trickery when running with the ball. They link up perfectly with target man Danny Graham, who offers a different aspect to Swansea’s game by bringing power, composure and a clinical finish to the table. However, it isn’t just going forward that Swansea have been excelling at. Their defence, marshalled by Ashley Williams, is one of the standout rearguards in the league this season. A combination of steely determination, teamwork and a little luck has seen Swansea make The Liberty Stadium a fortress, with only Arsenal managing to score 2 or more goals against them so far. And when that barricade is breached, a potential bargain buy of the season has been on hand to save the day. Dutch International goalkeeper Michel Vorm has had a truly sensational start to his career in England. He has kept Swansea in several games, often with instinctive reflex saves and a strong command of his goal area. Vorm is also developing a reputation as a spot-kick master, having saved from the spot more than once this season and being the coveted nickname of ‘Penalty Killer’.

Along with Vorm, Swansea have been able to bring in good, solid players for fairly cheap prices, giving the team every chance of surviving in the Premier League. Chief Scout Pasquale ‘Lil’ Fuccillo has done a tremendous job in identifying targets, and tough negotiating has seen Swansea maintain a comfortable budget. Vorm was plucked from Eredivisie side FC Utrecht for a measly fee of 1.5 million pounds. Danny Graham smashed the clubs transfer record when signing for £3.5 million, a sure sign that the board wanted to move the club forward. With the loss of star midfielder Darren Pratley to Bolton, Swansea brought in Kemy Agustein from Crystal Palace, who has done a fine job in the defensive midfield role, letting players like Britton and Allen shine in the process. Further arrivals, such as Wayne Routledge and Leroy Lita, have seen Swansea embed their young, fruitful squad with some much needed Premier League experience.

Swansea have coped with the first half of the Premier League campaign very well, amassing 6 wins, 8 draws and 26 points from the opening 22 games, leaving them well on course to reach the magical 40 point mark before the end of the season. If they can do it in the same continuous style of sharp, attacking football then the Premier League will be blessed for the next few years at least. As the Welsh would say, Dewch ar eich elyrch!

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