Team Focus: Unlucky Laudrup Deserved More Time at Swansea

There were, generally speaking, three different reactions amongst to Michael Laudrup's sacking on Tuesday night. The first was one we hear nearly every time a manager is dismissed - one of indignation at how harsh an industry it is these days. Secondly, those who believed he deserved it, with the Swans now only 2 points above the relegation zone. And lastly, there were those who felt more than anything, sympathy for the man who had guided the club to their first major trophy and their highest ever Premier League finish.

The reaction of those in the first camp should be more of surprise than the dismissal itself. The Premier League’s clubs do not have time for loyalty these days; bosses and players are quickly removed from their roles when considered ineffective or not the best option available.

There is a problem, however, when the latter is not the case. When Tottenham sacked André Villas-Boas, everyone pondered who chairman Daniel Levy might have lined up. No obvious candidate stood out, and Levy has ended up taking a risk, installing the still wholly unproven Tim Sherwood as manager simply because Villas-Boas’ formula was no longer working. For Swansea, too, there is little reason to believe any alternative to Laudrup would fare any better. Sherwood has enjoyed a honeymoon period in which he has galvanised a previously dysfunctional Spurs squad, but doubts certainly remain as to whether he has the tactical nous to achieve the desired fourth-placed finish.

Laudrup had proven the perfect fit for the Swans. An advocate of the short passing philosophy that has been instilled at the club ever since the days of Roberto Martínez’s reign, Laudrup went one better than Brendan Rodgers could and took Swansea to the top half of the Premier League and won the Capital One Cup. Little can match the joy the fans would have felt back in February, and they would surely have forgiven the boss for the poor form they are experiencing at present.

A trend in League Cup winners has developed in recent years; one of falling off the pace and managers suffering the consequences. With Laudrup now gone, five of the last six managers to lead a club to League Cup glory have been removed from their post by the time the next final has come around, the only exception being Sir Alex Ferguson. 

Swansea’s form has not been up to scratch since winning silverware, there is little secret of that. They averaged 1.37 points per game in their first 27 games of 2012/13, and that dropped way down to 0.9 over the final 15 games. If it wasn’t for their strong start to the season they might well have been battling it out at the bottom. This drop in form, however, is perfectly understandable.

Midway through the season, your Premier League campaign is disrupted by celebrations and jubilation at making history with a club that earlier this century were in the fourth tier of the Football League. A below par end to the season is surely to be expected.

Then a new season rolls around, investment is made over the summer to build on the last campaign, and the players that come in - naturally - do not all settle instantly. Wilfried Bony took a little while to find his feet properly, Jonjo Shelvey has been consistent but questions remain as to whether he is the man to take the team that step up, while José Cañas has been an upgrade on Leon Britton in central midfield. There is suddenly some depth to the squad, but by this point in the season, they have played a staggering 37 games. Comparatively, West Brom, the team Swansea finished 3 points behind last season and are currently a point ahead of, have played just 27 matches. The season’s demands are taking their toll but they are doing adequately well.

Injuries have depleted the squad to such an extent that Swansea’s poor form has spilled over into this season. Nonetheless, it is by no means as bad as it got last term, and the injuries are a genuine excuse. Michu has been hit with numerous knocks that have rendered him unable to reproduce the performances that won him such widespread acclaim last season, scoring just 2 goals in 12 Premier League appearances compared to 18 in 35 last term. Michel Vorm has been struck by injury too and Gerhard Tremmel has not proven the reliable deputy he was last campaign. Vorm has recorded WhoSocred ratings of 7.03, 6.7 and 6.57 in his 3 Premier League seasons so far and potentially the club need better competition between the sticks.

Are these faults of Michael Laudrup, though? The team are continuing to adhere to the passing mantra the club want; they have had more of the ball than any other team in the Premier League (59.9%), but rank 10th for goals scored and sixth-bottom for goals against. They are lacking penetration in the final third, and perhaps need new ideas in that regard, and are also too easy to scythe through at the back, but there are at present plenty of telltale signs of a club that are struggling to meet demands that have newly been placed on them.

Then, even if you were to say that Laudrup was no longer a viable option as manager, alternatives are needed. A look through the potential candidates reads as a list of highly ambitious coups (Marcelo Bielsa, Luis Enrique), ex-pros who used to play wonderful football but haven’t been or might well not be as successful in the dugout (Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Bergkamp), unproven entities (Garry Monk, Graeme Jones) and Glenn Hoddle. Bielsa could be perfect for the club, but having built his reputation at Athletic Bilbao, maybe be hopeful of a move to a bigger team, while Jones is an interesting one, having apparently been offered the job on 4 occasions previously after being Roberto Martínez’s assistant at the club. That would be a huge risk, though. As would Bergkamp. There is certainly potential in this list, but there is little time left in the season to bring around the results needed, so why should we believe that the next boss will fare any better than Laudrup.

The perfectly preened Dane has rewritten the history books for the Welsh club, and there are certainly at least 3 teams who he would have finished above come May. Perhaps this season wouldn’t have ended up as roaring a success as the last, but he undoubtedly deserved more time to work on the project he had going at the Liberty Stadium.

Were Swansea wrong to dismiss Laudrup at this stage in the season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below