TIME in at deep end but being home alone

face this sort of top opposition is great. Having worked alongside Carlo Ancelotti for a number of years, I’d been in those circles before.

“But it’s very different when you are the lead coach rather than just a No.2. The job makes you feel alive.

“You go through a lot of emotion during games. Mentally, you’re being challenged – about the way the team are playing and whether you can help them with what you say at half-time and afterwards.

“I try to be very careful and thoughtful about my words. I don’t want to waffle. I want the message to be strong, with the right tone.”

In that respect, it has been so far, so good for Clement.

Including the victory over Crystal Palace, he has bagged nine points from a possible 12 since replacing American Bob Bradley and earned a January Premier League Manager of the Month nomination in the process.

And it was the Swans’ thrilling 3-2 victory at high-flying Liverpool a fortnight ago that signalled he may well possess the skills required for the highest level of coaching.

Despite never making it as a professional player, the ex-Corinthian Casuals amateur appears primed to hit the big time on the touchline. Clement said: “Before I was a No.1, I made sure I took notes and was aware of everything going on. I looked at the way Carlo worked. “The way he was in press conferences, on the line, with different managers, with the players – and the tactics he used. “That’s all been a part of the learning process to get me to this point. “I don’t know if it helps a manager to have played at the top level. Carlo says it doesn’t make any difference at all. “It certainly doesn’t help you select a team, decide tactics, motivate players, or deal with conflict. That’s a totally new skill-set to learn. “What someone like Pep Guardiola did brilliantly was make the transition between player and coach. That was phenomenal.” Coming into the weekend, Swansea – rock-bottom following a 4-0 hammering by Arsenal in Clement’s home debut – were 17th and two points clear of trouble. That has given them a little breathing space and, arguably, a free hit at resurgent City today. Not that Clement views it that way. He said: “We can’t look only at the result. I want a good performance, where we put things right that weren’t right against Arsenal, Liverpool and Southampton.”