Published: 02 April 2012
by DAN CARRIER

THERE has been a lot of paper talk this week saying that if Harry Redknapp joins England, the Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers will be asked to take over.

While Spurs fans may feel a little bit underwhelmed by the idea of the Welsh club's number one being given the keys to the team sheet, he has won many friends this term, creating a side that with no cash has settled into not only a decent mid-table outfit, but has done so without using the sort of tactics similarly positioned clubs like Stoke have done.

Rodgers' team has broken the traditional system recently promoted sides usually use in their debut Premiership season.

Often we see bosses tell their charges that while they may not be able to compete in terms of Galatico style tricks, jinks and sexy football, they can at least do the physical fight and that is the starting point to win the golden 40 points needed to stay up.

But Rodgers has not gone down this road.

Whilst his team of course fight for the rigtht to play, they have approached games with the confidence that they can do more than just get stuck in.

They seem to be well drilled on the training ground to create triangles and squares when in possession, and so it's all pass and move, pass and move. I'm sure my dad would liken them to Arthur Rowe's push and run team of the 1950s.

But does Rdogers success at creating a very fluent footballing team mean he would fit in here? Is his name big enough to handle the Champions League, and is he inspiring enough to ensure we can hang on to the likes of Modric and Bale, whilst also signing that world class centre forward we desperately need?

We know he spent three years in charge of Chelsea's reserve team under Jose Mourinho and looked a competent boss.

He then did well at Watford but his spell at Reading was utterly underwhelming.

He has only been with Swansea for two years, winning promotion through a play off in his second term.

Is this enough experience? It would certainly be a very bold move by Daniel Levy.  

Short, stocky, suited and booted, he is a hands on touchline tactician.

He did not sit down once throughout the 90 and every few moments made a little scribble in a note book, like a quality control expert in a factory, ensuring all his staff are making sure the right widgets are going into the right boxes.

And although Spurs showed the quality were it mattered Rodgers was able to bask in the pleasant shine of a very competent football team he has built: they aren't particularly powerful, nor up for adventurous cross field balls.

Instead it is all five yards this, five yards that, and you could see that early on the crunchers in the Spurs side in the shape of Parker and Sandro began to get a bit frustrated: it seemed for portions of the game that whenever they got close enough to get in a meaty one, the ball had been one-two'd out of their sphere.

On 14, the joy on Parker's face as he oomphed in an interception showed how up to that point he'd not yet had the chance to make his usual physical mark on the game.

The early exchanges saw Swansea do well in possession but Spurs had the two best chances, with van der Vaart having a goal-bound shot deflected wide and then Adebayor narrowly failing to turn home a Bale cross.

The breakthrough came on 18: Modric tidied up a Swansea attack and then spotted Bale calling for the ball in the left hand channel.

His simple pass into space sent him clear and although his cross for Adebayor did not reach it's intended traget, van der Vaart was on hand to blast it home.

Kaboul nearly double the lead on 28 with a wonderful, powerful header which was destined for the top corner until Swans keeper Michael Vorm stretched a big glove.

It then settled into a game of parries and feints as both sides painted swirly patterns but didn't really get off enough shots to create half chances.

The second period saw Swansea come out with real purpose, and it took an immense one handed stop from Brad Friedel from a brilliant Gylfi Sigurdsson curler to keep the home team's noses in front.

The equaliser came on 58, and again from the boot of Sigurdsson.

Spurs had been tepid for the second half, not really getting hold of it, and Swansea City's goal scorer latched on to a poor clearence and watched as his bouncing effort found its way home.

But perhaps the equaliser was the catalyst for what was needed.

Spurs were stung and began to move the ball with purpose, with an increasingly vocal crowd behind them.

Adebayor had two good chances and Bale bossed the left.

And it was through the brilliance of the Welshman that saw Spurs get back into the lead.

A little spell where Bale had begun to get more of the ball lead to the second.

Bale had alreayd begun to stretch his legs in good places and he won and then took the corner that Adebayor rose majestically to plant home.

It stayed that way until 85, when a virtually carbon copy goal made it safe.

Lennon jinked right and put a ball into the box that was so perfect Adebayor simply waited for it to meet his forehead before wheeling away to celebrate.

It was a vital three points and hard earned.

Swansea are no mugs and it wasn't the easiest of victories.

Rodgers gave a good account of himself. When his team went behind again, he didn't panic but passed instructions telling them to get the ball to Routledge, who was having a fair amount of change out of Assou-Ekotto.

The number of times his players looked over to the bench and received some sign language shows how integral Rodgers is during the 90 minutes.

He is not one of those bosses who says, right, here is the team, you know what to do, go out and play: instead at times it was like watching a kid with a Subbuteo set.

You go there, you go there, and you, stay here… He didn;t have the annumition on the nech to make a game changing substitution but he did use all of his three changes, and none were because of injuries.

They were all tactical, and though they didn;t come off, it shows the boss's confidence.

He is clearly a good manager, knows his football and his team has a style about them.

But what a huge gamble it would be bringing him in, and while he deserves to be considered for a short list, the main worry must be the fact he isn't too well known outside the Premiership, which makes you wonder if he would be able to attract the stars and keep those here already.

Still: after watching Swansea, I think those at the Lane today wouldn't be too put out if we found ourselves singing "Brendan Rodgers blue and white army" in August.
 
Friedel, 7: One great stop in the second half was one of those moments that makes every one in the stadium breathe in sharply.
Bale, 8: One dribble nearly brought him goal of the season. A robust day at work.
Kaboul, 8: Massive performance. Brilliant defensively, but also, when we needed it , went rampaging forward to show his creative team mates how it is done.
Parker, 7: Huffed and puffed and made a real nuisance of himself.
Adebayor, 7: Can't ask for much more than two goals from your forward. Ran his heart out today aswell.
van der Vaart, 8: Great goal and an all action display. Showed stregnth and purpose, but drifted abit too much all over the shop. Sub: Livermore
Gallas, 7: Wonderful calmness about him. Played a blinder.
Modric, 6: This was not his best performance by a long shot: seemed to let the game by pass him at times, but still showed the world class flashes we expect, just not often enough.
Walker, 6: Had a lot of defending to do today.
Sandro, 7: A very strong display. Always positive. Frequently found himself surrounded by opponents but never once gave the ball away cheaply. Sub: Lennon
Assou-Ekotto, 6: Not his best display today. Got knocked around a far amount, and it seemed to put him off. His passing lacked it's usual neatness. Sub: Rose
 
Cudici
Lennon
Saha
Defoe
Rose
Livermore
Nelsen