Team Focus: Swansea City - Just Like Watching Barca?!

So often it is that a promoted side is branded as "a breath of fresh air" into the Premier League that the phrase starts to lose its meaning, but if one side epitomises the term in this season or indeed recent years, perhaps it is Swansea City.

At times it appears that the first Welsh side to have reached the Premier League since its inception have not come from across the border but further flung in Europe due to their attractive and patient style, which was clear for all to see in their recent domination of struggling Bolton.

Many have credited Roberto Martinez, now at Wigan, with the start of the revolution at the Liberty Stadium, with his replacements failing to match the brand of free-flowing football that he enthused. That was at least until Brendan Rodgers brought his own take on the passing game that had been developed, having studied one of the greatest whilst at Chelsea when 'The Special One' was at the helm.

Many questioned whether the team could continue their somewhat slow and methodical build up play in the country's fast-paced elite division, but Swansea certainly haven't turned their back on their footballing values and are thriving under Rodgers’ stewardship, particularly at home.

Not the Average Premier League Side

A look at Swansea's team stats is a clear indicator of just how well they pass and keep the ball, cutting it with the best of them in terms of possession with 57%. This figure is above the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham, and well above the league average of just under 50%, only below Chelsea, Arsenal and league leaders City.

The side's pass accuracy also ranks them 4th in the league, behind the same trio at the top with 85%, all but matching the Gunners tally who have been regarded as the division's best passers for many years. The success rate is markedly better than the league average of 78.5%, with fellow newcomers QPR and Norwich on 74%.

Their attacking style has sometimes seen them criticised as being a little lightweight at times, though their league low of 8 fouls per game should be seen as a positive, as should their disciplinary record of just 14 yellows and 0 reds this season, with the average team in the league amassing 18 and 1 respectively.

However, there are undoubtedly areas in which Rodgers side could improve, and perhaps adding a little bite to their play would aid in increasing poor figures when it comes to tackles per game (16) and aerial success (30%). The two scores rank Swansea 18th and 20th respectively, with a fairly miniscule midfield not helping when it comes to the latter, with their success rate a full 16% down on 19th ranked Sunderland in that department.

Swansea Right to Attack Down the Right?

A look at the areas in which Swansea attack the most shows that they look to use the right flank, and more directly the threat of Nathan Dyer, the most. 42% of the side's attacks come from this side which is the 3rd highest percentage in the league, while only 32% come from Scott Sinclair's left, which is the 5th lowest.

The fact that only 26% of the Welsh outfit’s attacks come through the middle of the park is less of a surprise due to the exploits of their aforementioned wingers, but are Swansea right to focus so much of their attacking impetus out wide, and particularly on the right?

A look at the stats of both Dyer and Sinclair suggests that Rodgers' side may be best advised to look to the latter more often. The 22-year-old's 3 goals, though all from the penalty spot, and 1 assist, trumps Dyer's 1 and 0 respectively and are not the only aspects he dominates. Dyer is also behind his teammate in terms of shots per game (3.7 - 1.7), pass accuracy (86% - 84%), dribbles per game (2.2 - 1.9) and crosses per game (0.5 - 0.1).

However, the right-sided 23-year-old offers far more when it comes to defensive contribution, with Sinclair somewhat slacking with Dyer's 2.1 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game far greater than his 0.6 and 0.3 respectively. It is only when one looks at the input of the respective full-backs that it becomes clear as to how Swansea keep their balance.

On the right side of the back-four, Spaniard Angel Rangel is offered the license to support attacks due to Dyer's willingness to battle in front of him. The right-back has 1 assist to his name but failed to score despite attempting 1 shot per game. His figure of 0.7 accurate crosses per game proves that he is utilized more often than Dyer in this sense, whose meagre 0.1 crosses is fairly dismal considering the amount of the ball that he sees.

In comparison, left-back Neil Taylor is rarely afforded the chance to marauder down the flank due to Sinclair's high position up the pitch. In turn, the Wales international makes more tackles per game than any Swansea player (3.2), and almost 1 more a match than opposite full-back Rangel. He has no goals or assists to his name having only had 1 shot all season.

Making Use of the Middle vs Bolton

While the Swans' wingers take most of the plaudits, the team's success on Saturday against Bolton can be greatly attributed to the overlooked middle-men at the Liberty Stadium. The hosts used the likes of Leon Britton, Joe Allen and Mark Gower a much increased 34% of the time when attacking against the Trotters, and to great effect.

Some remarkable figures became evident after the game, which proved that the newly promoted side's playmakers are among the most efficient on the ball, not only in England but also in Europe. Defensive midfielder Leon Britton looks to break up play and keep possession and did exactly that as he amazingly completed 100% of the 67 passes he attempted.

While Britton looked to play it simple, his fellow holding midfielder Mark Gower was more adventurous, setting up 6 goalscoring chances, one of which was converted, from 103 touches. His 83 passes were successful an impressive 87% of the time, which is unbelievably the worst of the trio with youngster Joe Allen perhaps the standout performer on the day.

The 21-year-old not only netted with an accomplished finish but also had 98 touches and made 85 passes. He created 5 chances for teammates, though none led to assists, and despite his excellent creativity, he was accurate with a whopping 97% of the passes he attempted, leaving the trio with figures one would associate with Barcelona rather than the relative minnows of elite league football!