I'm using the fact he's been linked with the Rangers job as justification for making a thread about a championship manager no one cares about, even though the chances of it happening are tiny. Think it's 10/1 atm.
Rangers supporters are understandably very against the idea, with him being a 35 year old who has had one full season in league one and is a few months into a championship stint at Swansea, with the side sitting at 12th and just coming off a 0-4 defeat to Bournemouth. Despite that, I do think sides likes Rangers and other clubs will be keeping an eye on Martin and how he does over next couple years. He only joined the club a few days before the start of the season, so everything's still being implemented. There's been about 20 games so far, and after struggling for points and goals in the first 10, the second 10 has been a lot more promising. Despite the small sample size it's been a good insight on his approach.
Style of play on the ball
Usually set up in a kind of 3-4-2-1, though asymmetrical
The most obvious and apparent part of his game is his commitment to keeping the ball. This is quite the change from Cooper, where ball retention wasn't a high priority, and the side was happy to sit back and stay compact. Where Cooper's Swansea usually had the ball half the time, Swansea this season average about 65% possession. This is the highest in the championship, and more than any side in the PL or the lower divisions. Of course possession is a fairly vague stat and doesn't tell us that much. Early on in the season Swansea struggled massively to break sides down, and often had to resort to passing it left to right in a pedestrian manner. They've improved on this front though and are now balancing control of the ball while also being able to create chances and get the ball into dangerous areas.
Building from the back, Martin has moved previous fullback Kyle Naughton into central defence, and he's flanked by two CBs who will often push much higher than Naughton, as the wide CBs join attacks one of the midfielders will often drop deeper, so if the ball is recycled you have two very competent ball players at the heart of the defence and the wide CBs able to defend aggressively high up the pitch.
This is Ryan Bennet's heat map from the 20/21 season
And here we have the 21/22 season so far
This also facilitates Laird being able to position himself very high.
The wingbacks function quite differently from each other with Bidwell acting as a counterbalance and rarely taking players on (though still providing width down the left). Laird being an excellent dribbler is given a lot of freedom to attack the opposition, being able to take players on in various situations, and possessing the technique and physicality to do so on a regular basis. Many of the teams who face Swansea come so with a plan of sitting deep and staying compact, even when the side was near the bottom of the table, due to how this possession orientated team struggled to break sides down. Laird's ability to play against a compact defence has been instrumental for Swansea when it came to dealing with these scenarios, often winning dangerous set pieces high up the pitch, and having had numerous penalty shouts due to how quick his feet are.
In midfield Grimes functions as the metronome in the side, often acting as a pivot in front of Naughton and constantly recycling the ball. Martin has his side being very patient with the ball, with all of the midfielders being expected to work hard to give teammates passing options. Grimes averages 95 passes in his conservative deep lying role.
Off the ball
Martin employs an aggressive high press, when pressing a team high up the pitch Martin uses a man to man system, with the player nearest the ball closing him down and attempting to block any passing lanes, while the other players will cover any potential nearby passing options. He'll often have the side engaging in pressing traps too, covering options and forcing the opposition into picking out the unmarked player, only to then swarm them. One of the major functions of this system is to continually force the opposition to go long when attempting to play it out from the back, allowing Swansea to consistently control of the ball. The high press needs to be managed for fitness reasons, so the large amounts of possession allows Swansea to dictate the tempo of the game, allowing the side to manage energy levels. This allows for Swansea to enact a short yet intense press upon losing possession. The two wide CBs contribute to the press by being able to push up, allowing them to do their defending higher up the pitch and play a role in stopping counterattacks through defensive actions or coverage.
If the initial press has failed in regaining control of the ball, the side will then take on a more compact shape and ensure they have numbers in the center. The Wingbacks will drop and two of the midfielders will sit in front of the backline, making it hard to play through the middle, with the team pressing in a much milder manner which prioritises the defensive shape.
Why are you wanking him off if he's 12th?
Cooper achieved the playoffs during both of his seasons, so it's a fair question to ask. There's a few mitigating factors, Martin only joined the club on the 1st of August, the first league game was on the 7th. The squad hadn't had much time, with 15 player leaving in the summer (including Andre Ayew who was a real difference maker, and Jamal Lowe who had become important) and many players arriving. Of the current first 11 5 are new signings. It's still very early to know what his managerial level will be but he's made some interesting decisions and has very quickly stamped his style on the side. After struggling initially the team is performing to a much higher level. He's also very easy on the eye
A couple of clips
Rangers supporters are understandably very against the idea, with him being a 35 year old who has had one full season in league one and is a few months into a championship stint at Swansea, with the side sitting at 12th and just coming off a 0-4 defeat to Bournemouth. Despite that, I do think sides likes Rangers and other clubs will be keeping an eye on Martin and how he does over next couple years. He only joined the club a few days before the start of the season, so everything's still being implemented. There's been about 20 games so far, and after struggling for points and goals in the first 10, the second 10 has been a lot more promising. Despite the small sample size it's been a good insight on his approach.
Style of play on the ball
Usually set up in a kind of 3-4-2-1, though asymmetrical
The most obvious and apparent part of his game is his commitment to keeping the ball. This is quite the change from Cooper, where ball retention wasn't a high priority, and the side was happy to sit back and stay compact. Where Cooper's Swansea usually had the ball half the time, Swansea this season average about 65% possession. This is the highest in the championship, and more than any side in the PL or the lower divisions. Of course possession is a fairly vague stat and doesn't tell us that much. Early on in the season Swansea struggled massively to break sides down, and often had to resort to passing it left to right in a pedestrian manner. They've improved on this front though and are now balancing control of the ball while also being able to create chances and get the ball into dangerous areas.
Building from the back, Martin has moved previous fullback Kyle Naughton into central defence, and he's flanked by two CBs who will often push much higher than Naughton, as the wide CBs join attacks one of the midfielders will often drop deeper, so if the ball is recycled you have two very competent ball players at the heart of the defence and the wide CBs able to defend aggressively high up the pitch.
This is Ryan Bennet's heat map from the 20/21 season
And here we have the 21/22 season so far
This also facilitates Laird being able to position himself very high.
The wingbacks function quite differently from each other with Bidwell acting as a counterbalance and rarely taking players on (though still providing width down the left). Laird being an excellent dribbler is given a lot of freedom to attack the opposition, being able to take players on in various situations, and possessing the technique and physicality to do so on a regular basis. Many of the teams who face Swansea come so with a plan of sitting deep and staying compact, even when the side was near the bottom of the table, due to how this possession orientated team struggled to break sides down. Laird's ability to play against a compact defence has been instrumental for Swansea when it came to dealing with these scenarios, often winning dangerous set pieces high up the pitch, and having had numerous penalty shouts due to how quick his feet are.
In midfield Grimes functions as the metronome in the side, often acting as a pivot in front of Naughton and constantly recycling the ball. Martin has his side being very patient with the ball, with all of the midfielders being expected to work hard to give teammates passing options. Grimes averages 95 passes in his conservative deep lying role.
Off the ball
Martin employs an aggressive high press, when pressing a team high up the pitch Martin uses a man to man system, with the player nearest the ball closing him down and attempting to block any passing lanes, while the other players will cover any potential nearby passing options. He'll often have the side engaging in pressing traps too, covering options and forcing the opposition into picking out the unmarked player, only to then swarm them. One of the major functions of this system is to continually force the opposition to go long when attempting to play it out from the back, allowing Swansea to consistently control of the ball. The high press needs to be managed for fitness reasons, so the large amounts of possession allows Swansea to dictate the tempo of the game, allowing the side to manage energy levels. This allows for Swansea to enact a short yet intense press upon losing possession. The two wide CBs contribute to the press by being able to push up, allowing them to do their defending higher up the pitch and play a role in stopping counterattacks through defensive actions or coverage.
If the initial press has failed in regaining control of the ball, the side will then take on a more compact shape and ensure they have numbers in the center. The Wingbacks will drop and two of the midfielders will sit in front of the backline, making it hard to play through the middle, with the team pressing in a much milder manner which prioritises the defensive shape.
Why are you wanking him off if he's 12th?
Cooper achieved the playoffs during both of his seasons, so it's a fair question to ask. There's a few mitigating factors, Martin only joined the club on the 1st of August, the first league game was on the 7th. The squad hadn't had much time, with 15 player leaving in the summer (including Andre Ayew who was a real difference maker, and Jamal Lowe who had become important) and many players arriving. Of the current first 11 5 are new signings. It's still very early to know what his managerial level will be but he's made some interesting decisions and has very quickly stamped his style on the side. After struggling initially the team is performing to a much higher level. He's also very easy on the eye
A couple of clips
