He was quite direct but also very adaptable

Michael Cox summed us up perfectly. User Posted Link

Norwich are completely different. That's not to say they play long balls like Stoke, though, for their approach is rather more sophisticated. They like to cross the ball, and with two strong strikers in Grant Holt and Steve Morison upfront, have scored more headed goals than any other club. It's an interesting statistic considering they most frequently line up with a diamond in midfield, often more likely to give a team domination in the middle at the expense of controlling the wings.

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But Norwich's play is intelligent and fluid -- both players on the sides of the diamond can venture into wide positions, as can the full-backs. Even Wes Hoolahan, a clever central playmaker, spends a fair amount of time drifting laterally across the pitch.

There's another clear difference between the sides -- how they approach individual games. Swansea are committed to their footballing philosophy -- they broadly play the same style of football in every game, and keep the shape Rodgers believes allows both midfield domination and energy down the flanks. A subtle tilt of the midfield trio is often apparent, but otherwise there is a clear consistency, for Rodgers is concerned primarily about his own side. "If we have the ball, you can't score, no matter how big or strong you are. I've always worked off that."

Brendan Rodgers has Swansea City playing with confidence and a Spanish-style possession game that's helped them to wins over Arsenal and Aston Villa in 2012 alone.
Lambert is the complete opposite; although the diamond seems Norwich's natural shape, he has also played a 5-3-2, a 4-4-2 and a 4-4-1-1. The Scot is a more pragmatic manager, looking at the opposition's shape and adjusting his side accordingly. After the draw against Chelsea at the weekend, Lambert indicated he had been entirely happy to allow Andre Villas-Boas' side the majority of the ball. "They had the majority of possession, which they're entirely entitled to," he said. Rodgers would never think that way.

Which is the better approach? Well, neither. But they result in completely different playing styles. Swansea have the fourth-highest pass completion rate in the league, Norwich's is the fourth-lowest. But if Rodgers' side has the Spanish style, Lambert's has the German efficiency when it comes to using the ball -- they've scored the seventh-most goals in the league, nine more than Swansea.

Swansea keep the ball but often aren't a consistent goal threat, whereas Norwich are about structure and quick transitions. In short, they embody the Spain vs. Germany clash that ended Euro 2008, defined World Cup 2010, and will probably be played out again in Kiev on July 1st.

It is the two strands of modern football philosophy, epitomised by two managers and teams with little top-flight experience before this campaign. Norwich are in 9th position, Swansea are 13th -- in the zone of the table no-one bothers to talk about. But the performances of these two this season has been remarkable, and fascinating on a tactical level too. That, rather than the title race, the battle for Champions League places or the relegation dogfight, has been the best thing about the 2011/12 Premier League season so far.

Posted By: Brandonio, Feb 25, 19:22:14