Team Focus: Monk Sacking Harsh but Understandable Given Swans' Slide

The dismissal of Garry Monk from his post as Swansea manager has been widely criticised. The majority of the media and football fans in general think that the decision is a harsh one, despite seeming inevitable for a matter of weeks.

There is, however, no hiding the fact that the Swans have been pretty awful of late, culminating in a 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Leicester at the weekend. The mood at the Liberty was in stark contrast from the their last home victory, when a 2-1 win over Manchester United - dating back to August - had pundits lauding Monk’s managerial ability.

The young boss was even tipped by many to become the next England manager, though that prediction was admittedly hasty given his age and experience. At the end of the first month of the campaign Swansea sat fourth as one of only three sides to avoid defeat in the opening four matches of the season.

Jonjo Shelvey was pulling the strings, Andre Ayew had hit the ground running, Jefferson Montero was terrorising full-backs and Bafetimbi Gomis couldn’t stop scoring. How times have changed, with Ayew perhaps the only player for the Welsh outfit to maintain any form of consistency over the season’s course, despite failing to replicate his early impact.

Gomis, crucially, hasn’t scored since that win over United and a lack of goals within the side has proven a real issue, with only he and Ayew scoring for the club from open play all season. Their only victory since the end of August has come at bottom club Villa, with that coming late on having fallen behind in a tight affair.

In the ten league matches Swansea have failed to win since beating Van Gaal’s men that have failed to score in 7, with a tally of 7 goals in that time the lowest in the Premier League and a meagre points haul of 6 better only than Villa, there have certainly been less understanding sackings than that of Monk. A young British manager will always be given time by the English press and the 36-year old certainly deserved it given his exploits with the club previous but Monk’s sacking isn’t as knee-jerk as some might suggest.

It’s always a shame when a manager attempting to establish himself in a job is deemed surplus to requirements but if Swansea’s slide persists over the Christmas period there will be no escaping the fact that they face a relegation battle. It’s a position they haven’t toyed with since gaining promotion under Brendan Rodgers in 2011/12 - with the unemployed Ulsterman among the favourites to return to the Liberty hot seat.

Monk looked increasingly worn out on the sidelines and in the press conferences leading to his dismissal, seemingly well aware that the axe was being wielded, as well as disagreeing with the board’s opinion that a mentor was needed to counteract his lack of experience. Here he is a guy who has been thrust straight from a playing career into a managerial role with very little time to recharge his batteries.

There is no avoiding the fact that Monk was struggling to motivate his players in recent months, with side all but losing the identity that had made them so revered by those progressing through the leagues. The vim and verve that characterised their impressive passing football is no more, and as a result neither is Monk.

While their obvious goalscoring problems have been a major contributing factor in Swansea’s plight, more concerning is a lack of fight. Monk’s men averaged the fewest tackles per game in the league to this point (15.5) and the third fewest fouls (9.3). Captain Ashley Williams - the real leader of this side and former defensive partner under Monk - has had arguably his first discernible drop off in form for years since the October international break and his inability to organise the defence has been evident in recent weeks.

Perhaps, in that respect, a change is what is needed. The Swans are struggling to keep their heads above water, and not a single one of their players are performing to the levels they really should be. It’s reasonable to suggest that, as tends to be the case with any change of manager, they will step up their game in the coming weeks. With a tough run of fixtures to contend with they will certainly need to.

Expect a reaction. Ayew is the bright spark in the side so a price in Buabook’s season market of around £12 isn’t unreasonable. Gomis should get a new lease of life having been dropped in recent weeks so jumping on seasonal shares in the region of £6 should also be a safe bet.

Swansea fans are used to much more from their side and no team has a right not to have to fight for a place in England’s top-flight. The Welsh find themselves in one at present though. Whomever the new manager may be needs to restore that much into his new charges, and fast.

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