There have been so many fairytale stories in football, a rise from the lower levels of English football up to earn a chance to compete on the biggest stage – the Premier League.
Teams like Bournemouth, Stoke City and Southampton are prime examples of this, but perhaps the best story belongs to Swansea City.
Just over 10 years ago they were on the brink of falling out of the football league, only a victory over Hull City on the final day of the 2002/03 season kept them up.
Since then the Welsh side have made their way up the leagues into the top flight, where they have now become an established Premier League side.
Gary Monk is the current man in charge of leading the Swans’ mission up the league. He has drawn on the lessons he learnt during his time playing at the Liberty Stadium under the likes of Roberto Martinez, Michael Laudrup and Brendan Rodgers to help him succeed.
Monk guided his side to their best ever finish of 8th last season, and will be looking to build on that this campaign.
Swansea look a very organised side, the players all work hard for each other and give their all in every game. The Seans have become the masters of high tempo, counter attacking football, and every player looks comfortable in their role.
Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabiański has been a revelation since he joined from Arsenal. He’s an excellent shot stopper, is a solid last line of defence and fills all those in front of him with confidence.
As for the defence, despite not having the world’s best footballers, they are one of the hardest units to break down. They kept 13 clean sheets last season and are already on their way to matching it this year.
Neil Taylor, Federico Fernandez, Kyle Naughton and Ashley Williams work well together, playing off each other’s strengths. Williams, in particular, is the focal point. The club captain is a real leader through his vocal presence and his on the field actions. Willians always gives 100% and does a great job of encouraging all those around him.
Sitting in the double pivot of the 4-2-3-1 formation Monk favours are Ki and Jonjo Shelvey. The pair are vital to any success Swansea have and have a massive role to play.
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The pair are brilliant at recovering the ball and starting the attacks. They cover nearly every blade of grass on that pitch, supporting those behind them in defence but also giving an outlet for the ball when their teammates attack.
Ki, in particular, picks up his share of the goals by attacking from a deep position, whilst Shelvey is often the creator. His excellent vision is a key attribute of his game.
Following the arrival of Andre Ayew from Marseille, the Welsh side have now got one of the strongest attacking midfield trio’s in the league in Gylfi Sigurdsson, Ayew and Jefferson Montero.
Between the trio they give you every quality you could want out of an attacking midfielder, and all three are capable of match winning performances every week.
Sigurdsson is the play maker of the side, and is involved in everything. Weighing in with his fair share of goals and assists, he is a important player, especially at set pieces. The Icelandic international’s final ball is incredible.
Montero is a defenders nightmare. The small Ecuadorian is a nightmare for full-backs and he is developing a long list of players that he has terrorised during games.
In the two games this campaign he has run ragged one of best full backs in the league,Branislav Ivanovic, and then caused endless problems for Daryl Janmaat in the win over Newcastle, with the defender eventually being sent off for a challenge on Montero.
Ghana international Ayew is the most all round of the three. When he decided to join the Swans it was seen as a real coup for the club as the 25-year-old had been attracting attention from a host of Europe’s top sides.
The Ghanaian has everything – speed, skill, a wide passing range, and a strong eye for goal. The attacker has already scored twice this campaign and looks like he could be one of the stars of the season.
Up front is French striker Bafetemi Gomis. After a slow start, the striker is getting better and better with every game he plays. He has scored seven goals in his last eight appearances and looks a handful for any defence.
Playing off the last defender, Gomis is always providing those behind him with an outlet by making wonderful runs throughout the game, and it could be argued that the striker is a real outsider for the Golden Boot this season.
Monk is doing brilliantly with the club. Despite stepping into management so early, he has embraced the challenge and it has worked wonders for his confidence, which is clearly rubbing off on this talented side.
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