Those that follow the Swans have little or no interest in the workings, management and history of MLS side DC Utd. In fact that may well be reciprocal, however the shot callers at that club are also the very same at Swansea City.
Since the arrival of new Chairman Andrew Coleman we have seen an upturn in the progressive way the club is run, and a more open foundation within the club for all involved to become a valued part of the Swansea team ethic. There is still a reluctance to accept that the biggest influence on the club is the world wide web and its various mediums, but that’s more down to a blinkered approach at a communicative level, and not at the higher echelons of the Swans.
That is currently being addressed we are told, a new broom is most certainly required.
Within the playing squad we have seen a huge sea change in the way the playing staff train, integrate and develop with Michael Duff and his coaching team. There is a more relaxed feeling about Fairwood in training and a more ‘aligned’ understanding of the actual requirement of the team on a match day. The final goal against Plymouth Argyle where four players broke from an attack by the home side - and Josh Key finished off a flowing move the best example of fitness we have seen so far this season. To score a goal so late in a game that took the opposition apart so effectively and quickly - and with a positive result requires stamina and organisation.
Many will recall our numerous references to the high fitness levels required by Duff, how he goes about it and the pictures of exhausted players just a few weeks ago are very much in evidence still. It all started in Alicante.
That’s here —> Swans in fitness camp
That fitness, if maintained is a part of the reason why the Swans are able to graft hard on a match day. Duff promised this earlier on in the season and it hasn’t changed today. The exceptionally high levels of fitness required to be a part of this new era are a given, the word ‘nonnegotiable’ very much in evidence.
Remember this feature on the Indy ? Gaffers Day
So, where are going with this ? All of a sudden, and we think it’s through hard work and endeavour the Swans seem to have started to tick. Team spirit seems more evident, and despite some futile attempts to take away the reasons for the Swans turnaround it really does look rosey. There should be some caution though, for things to change so swiftly tells me they could easily revert to that awful start the club had on the pitch.
Especially now we see a spate of injuries and that really is the point of this report.
Soft tissue injuries are defined as sprains and strains, a hamstring can be in this class of injury, although graded accordingly, and they are more prevalent this season at Swansea. Ben Cabango and Nathan Wood are prominent examples of these types of injury, Azeem Abdulai as well is going through a long lay off and recovery. Josh Ginnelly is also out for an undefined length of time with a severe achilles injury. There are other examples at the club, and this is very much a concern.
The name in amongst all this is Hernán Losada. For some context he was the DC Utd coach who Jason Levien stated "Changed the foundation and shook up our culture, which needed shaking up” Losada was sacked by Jason Levien as a result of his demands on DC Utd players which resulted in numerous injuries. Those injuries deflated the squad, and bonding between the coach and players deteriorated. Even then after his sacking Levien said. "He is immensely talented. He’s got great charisma.I found him very inspiring and loved the conversations and interactions we had. Our organisation is better for the time Hernán was here.”
Losada (above) was sacked and then replaced by Wayne Rooney last year. In a move reminiscent of todays appointment of Wayne Rooney at Birmingham City, Levien appointed the ex Everton and Manchester United player as DC Utd manager. It didn’t pay off and Rooney left with a win rate of around twenty seven percent. Now Birmingham’s ownership, also American have appointed Rooney for obvious commercial reasons. However, that wasn’t the reasoning for Levien to sack Losada. Commercially of course there’s reasoning in appointing Rooney but Levien made it very clear. "As much as I liked it, we were pushing guys hard, we may have pushed them a little too hard.”
Washington Post: The physical demands resulted in a long list of injuries that season and a team that looked spent down the stretch; it missed the playoffs by one point. Even after changes to the support staff and a greater emphasis on offseason conditioning, the ailments continued under Losada. Due to the injuries players were losing faith in Losada. Levien said, "Losada’s demanding ways did not sit well with everyone”
Duff should take note of this but should he be wary of Levien’s record of decision making at DC Utd and at Swansea City ? Well, you can make observations on what you think could happen, in this case this is factual decision making on a situation that has happened. Injuries caused the dismissal of Losada at DC Utd, much to the supporters disbelief. They could see a turnaround in the team. The man himself was said to be ‘shocked’ after so much hard work at DC Utd. He had been appointed as a part of a long term ‘project’ at the club. Sounds familiar ? He also started to see his relationship deteriorate after questioning DC Utd’s spending stating he felt let down. Sounds even more familiar ?
In response Levien said. "We’re not at say Atlanta’s level of spending. We’re going to be middle of the pack, but we have to stay in our lane in terms of our vision, which is strategic spending” and developing homegrown players” The patterns are everywhere for comparisons between DC and Swansea. So if that’s the case what makes this report today regards injuries last year any different ?
It’s worth considering, from Losada to Rooney, from Martin to Duff the similarities are incredibly similar. And despite what anyone thinks Levien calls the shots, both at Swansea and in Washington.