“Boring boring Arsenal.” It was a chant which frequently, if not constantly rung around the Gunners old Highbury Stadium from the visiting section, mocking the style often adopted by George Graham’s men.
Maybe not the most enchanting of football, but it certainly suited the old Arsenal way, with such a formidable backline ensuring that a 1-0 victory was often the case. Tony Adams, Steve Bould, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, all classic, no nonsense, English defenders.
Of course, these times are now firmly in the history books, with Arsene Wenger’s current crop often displaying the most exciting football in the country, toying with the opposition and turning a game on its head with lightening speed and precision.
However uneasy on the eye, sitting back and grinding out a narrow win can be, it doesn’t half add up in the long run. Just ask the Arsenal fans and players who witnessed the old First Division title triumph’s of 1988-89 and 90-91.
Tony Adams was influential in Arsenal's 'shut up shop' days
One side that may well have watched an odd video or two of these highly successful Gunners side’s, are Swansea City.
While their has been seemingly endless media coverage attributed to Championship leaders Newcastle United, with practically every game being shown live somewhere, the Welshman have gone about their business, in a quiet, effective manner.
The Swans currently reside in fourth place, comfortably in line for a play off spot come May - at the least. Little attention has been paid to Swansea’s progress, and perhaps this is exactly how Paulo Sousa wishes it to stay.
Regular visitors to the Liberty Stadium won’t have had too many end to end enthralling spectacles to treasure in the memory, but if Swansea do indeed reach the Premier League, it is unlikely that many will be complaining.
Granted everyone likes to see an attacking style. Most people will prefer playing one, especially when it comes to 5-a-side soccer and 6-a-side football. Indeed the 6-a-side game one is reliant on attacking the opposition. The chance of competing at your local Leisure Leagues where a team sits back and invites pressure is minimal. But on an 11-a-side level, it is a tactic often deployed.
Swansea style has produced a remarkable record this campaign. As stated, they currently sit in fifth, just seven points of the automatic places, which is an achievement in itself. But to sit in this position, having scored just 30 goals in 33 games is quite remarkable. Added to that, the Swans have conceded just 22. Just 22 times has the ball hit the back of their net. Six of these goals have come from two games, both of these were 3-0 defeats, to runaway leaders Newcastle, and Middlesbrough, which could be put down to momentary lapses of concentration.
Sousa is steering a very tight ship at Swansea
Just take a look out Sousa’s side’s latest sequence of results. Preceding Saturday’s 1-0 victory over basement boys Peterborough United, was a battling 1-0 win in a very fiery encounter at Pride Park, two 1-1 draws away at Plymouth Argyle and at home against Newcastle United, whilst earning three points with a 1-0 victory at Selhurst Park.
In total thus far, Swansea have won by one goal to nil, eight times, whilst triumphing by the odd goal margin on 10 occasions in total.
When Sousa’s men aren’t sneaking to maximum points, they are grinding out valuable points, having drawn either 0-0 or 1-1 13 times this campaign. This is an incredibly defensive record, something which even some of the 6-a-side football teams in the Stockport Leisure Leagues would be proud of!
The Swans contingent will surely be delighted with a play off finish. There was of course, much uncertainty after Roberto Martinez’s departure for Wigan Athletic in the summer, who subsequently took some of last years key performers with him to the JJB. There seemed to be a mixed reaction to the appointment of Sousa, who became a long list of managers unceremoniously sacked by Queens Park Rangers, very harshly.
Perhaps Flavio Briatore & co look upon Swansea’s form and league position with a tinge of regret, well at least their much suffering supporters do, as the former is perhaps unlikely to muster any feelings to the situation.
It remains to be seen if the Swans can really take off and make an assault on the automatics, but it does seem a little unlikely. Either way, it demonstrates that there is still ample room in the modern game, for playing backs to the wall football and producing results from it.
Alex Z