Potter plotting way forward as Swansea pass possession test
MUCH has been said about the famed Swansea Way since Graham Potter took charge at the Liberty Stadium in the summer.
The former Ostersunds manager made no bones about his desire to get Swansea City playing an attractive and productive brand of football again when he arrived in South Wales.
And it’s taken no time at all for the Swans to show they’re already taking the 43-year-old’s methods on board.
There has been an intent to take the game to the opposition in matches where that simply wouldn’t have been the case under previous regimes.
Take the Wigan draw, for example.
Swansea enjoyed more chances and created more openings than a Wigan side who had collected 13 points from the 15 on offer in their home Championship fixtures prior to the visit of Potter’s troops.
They showed the same boldness at Sheffield United, at home to high flying Leeds United and even against Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium, with each reaping differing rewards.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. They’re still a work in progress. The performance at Birmingham City was clear proof of that.
Yet even then there was a steely resolve about the Swans that helped them earn a point when they frankly didn’t deserve one.
But - perhaps ironically - there’s a statistical comparison between the Swans and Birmingham that states just how much Swansea have developed under their current boss.
Garry Monk’s side have completed the fewest number of passes (3,385) in the Championship so far this season, with their passing accuracy of 60% being the worst in the division.
And at the opposite end of the table on those two statistics? You guessed it. Swansea’s total of 5,863 passes completed is the highest of the 24 sides in the Championship and is over 100 more than Leeds United have managed under Marcelo Bielsa, the man who has received plenty of plaudits for the brand of football he’s introduced at Elland Road.
But crucially, they’re finding the target too. Swansea have a passing accuracy of 80%, also the best in England’s second tier.
So what does it all actually mean?
It seems we’ve already had the answer...
It was ultimately a goal that counted for precious little as the Swans somehow managed to lose to Ipswich Town.
But Swansea’s second effort in the defeat to the Tractor Boys was something to behold.
The build-up to the goal got the pulses of the Jack Army racing, and it was the most comprehensive example of the Swans’ strategy under Potter that you’ll ever see.
Those who made the long trip from Suffolk had absolutely nothing to fear as Andre Dozzell tried to get on the end of a cross to test Kristoffer Nordfeldt in the 79th minute.
But little did they know that their former player Bersant Celina would see his shot ripple the back of the Ipswich net just 22 seconds after Dozzell failed to get away his strike.
As the visitors threatened, the calmness Leroy Fer, Nordfeldt and Connor Roberts displayed allowed the latter to play the ball wide to the right and clear of any danger, which gave Matt Grimes the opportunity to get Swansea going back up the pitch.
And despite being unfairly challenged from behind, Fer managed to spin his marker before picking out Barrie McKay who fed Celina on the halfway line, and the Kosovan did the rest of the damage, all in the blink of an eye.
It was the clearest evidence you’ll see of Potter’s emphasis on getting his side to play out from the back.
The Swansea Way? The Potter Way? Call it what you like.
Swansea are making some serious strides under their new boss.
And when you consider just how turgid it’s been in recent times, you can’t help but feel encouraged by what’s happening under Potter right now.