After parting company with Bob Bradley following the 4-1 home defeat to West Ham United on Boxing Day, Swansea City yesterday confirmed the appointment of new head coach Paul Clement on a two-and-a-half-year contract.
While Clement didn’t pick the side that faced Crystal Palace last night, he did move down from the stands to the dugout during the first-half, and oversaw the Swans’ first away victory since the 1-0 win at Burnley on the opening day of the season.
The Welsh side now sit 19th in the table, one point from safety, although they do also boast a vastly inferior goal difference to Palace, who are in 17th place.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Clement admitted he’s under no illusions over the size of the task facing him at Swansea:
“It is a massive challenge; there’s no other way to put it. But challenges are exciting, and that’s why I came here… It’s a big task, but I think it can be done… We are looking at the potential of adding to the squad in the transfer window. I’ve discussed that with the owners already.”
The History
Born in Reading, Clement failed to progress beyond the non-league as a player, before concentrating on coaching from the age of 23.
He worked with Chelsea’s centre of excellence from 1996 until 1999 prior to obtaining his UEFA ‘A’ coaching licence in 1999.
A year later, Clement became a full-time coach with Fulham, where he took up a role with their academy, while he also enjoyed a brief spell as a coach with the Republic of Ireland U21 side.
He remained at Craven Cottage for seven years then returned to Chelsea in 2007, initially linking up with the U16 side.
Clement worked his way through the ranks at Stamford Bridge, before linking up with the first-team when Guus Hiddink was appointed manager in 2009.
He then became the assistant manager under Carlo Ancelotti, with Chelsea winning the Premier League title in the first of the Italian’s two seasons in charge.
Clement had a brief spell as a coach with Blackburn Rovers during the 2011/12 season, before linking up with Ancelotti again at Paris Saint-Germain as the head coach, helping the French side to the Ligue 1 title in their second season at the club.
The 44-year-old again followed Ancelotti, this time to Real Madrid, in the summer of 2013, to take up a role as the assistant manager.
Clement spent two seasons at the Bernabeu, before taking up his first managerial position at Derby County ahead of the 2015/16 campaign.
His tenure with the Rams only lasted a little over eight months, though, getting sacked with Derby sitting in fifth place in the Championship.
Last summer, Clement once again linked up with Ancelotti, this time as the assistant manager at Bayern Munich, before the lure of a Premier League job proved too much to resist.
The Prospects
For the majority of this season, under both Francesco Guidolin and Bradley, the Swans have lined up in either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system, though the Italian also used a midfield diamond in a 4-1-2-1-2 on occasion.
Speaking during his brief stint at Derby, Clement spoke of the importance of being comfortable in more than one tactical set-up”
“I would like to have a couple of systems based on who is performing well, the opposition and whether we are playing at home or away. We want to be comfortable in a couple of systems so we can be adaptable, so we can change if required.”
That approach would appear similar to that of former managers Garry Monk, Francesco Guidolin and Bradley, but perhaps conflicting with both Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup, who generally stuck with 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formations.
This report suggests one of the reasons Clement’s reign at Derby was cut short was a lack of consistency in team selection, fuelled by the changes in tactics, while his style of football was also criticised.
But while the Swans have lost their footballing identity over the past few seasons, the need for results in the short-term is likely to supersede any desire for stylistic points.
Clement is thought to encourage a possession-based style of football though, with passing drills a key part of his training sessions.
Chairman Huw Jenkins alluded to Clement’s expertise on the training pitch following the appointment of the former Derby boss, and stated that he sees Clement as being a “typical Swansea City choice.”
It’s Clement’s man-management skills that will be tested at the Liberty Stadium, though, with the need to inspire confidence into a group of players that are failing to deal with the pressure of finding themselves stuck in a relegation battle.
Clement is known to generally favour a 4-3-3, though, and given the players currently at his disposal, it’s a system he could adopt over the remainder of the season.
The need to address the Swans’ problems in defence will be at the forefront of the new manager’s mind, having shipped 23 goals in their last eight matches.
That’s likely to be the main area where Clement looks to bring in new faces, with a leader badly needed in central defence to help fill the void left by Ashley Williams.
Federico Fernandez was handed a recall alongside Alfie Mawson in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, though, and the pair did lead a much improved defensive display.
Queens Park Rangers defender Steven Caulker has been linked with a return to Swansea, having spent the 2011/12 campaign on a season-long loan with the Welsh outfit, while Clement may also look to strengthen in the full-back positions.
A wide player could also be high on Clement’s wish list, with Jefferson Montero likely to be sidelined for around a month due to a hamstring injury, while Wayne Routledge, Modou Barrow and Nathan Dyer have all struggled for consistency.
Fernando Llorente has managed to score six goals, but with Borja Baston failing to settle in south Wales, Clement may also look to freshen up his forward line.
There’s no doubt Clement will face a baptism of fire at Swansea, with his first two matches in full control pitting him against Arsenal and Liverpool, while the fixture list thereafter (SOT, mci, LEI, che) looks extremely challenging.
Ultimately, with 92 points already under his belt, and having played a part in 50% of Swansea’s goals, the main focus will be on Clement’s use of Gylfi Sigurdsson.
The playmaker’s 6.8% ownership will be keen to move him on in light of that schedule, although with attacking returns against Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal already this season, he has proven he can deliver against tougher opposition.
Sigurdsson has started on the left of a front three in recent matches, and given the solidity offered by the three players in front of what has been a vulnerable backline, it’s a position he may be asked to continue in for the time being.
That’s a slight concern, given that he’s only registered three penalty box touches over the last two Gameweeks, although he has created five chances over the same period.
Sigurdsson aside, there doesn’t look to be much appeal in owning any Swansea player through the treacherous run of fixtures, with the upcoming matches handing us the ideal opportunity to assess how Clement will set about his task in south Wales.
The schedule eases considerably from Gameweek 27 onwards, so it’s then where Sigurdsson, along with the likes of Llorente and perhaps Alfie Mawson, may come back onto our radars.
