Only seven managers have procured more Premier League points this season than Garry Monk. Manuel Pellegrini is the division’s defending champion and Brendan Rodgers the reigning manager of the year. José Mourinho and Louis van Gaal are former Champions League winners and Arsène Wenger was a finalist in Europe’s elite competition. The other two, Ronald Koeman and Mauricio Pochettino, became coveted because of their exploits earlier in their careers.
Then there is Monk. If a glance at the upper echelons of the Premier League table illustrates what a risk Swansea took to appoint a rookie, it also shows how richly they have been rewarded.
“Coming in to this job, I understood it was an opportunity that wouldn’t happen very often at this level,” Monk admitted. Yet Swansea’s track record shows they are entitled to opt for an outsider. No City manager has failed since Nick Cusack in 2002 and each of their last seven appointments has enjoyed at least some success. The 35-year-old Monk is tasting it at a tender age, to the surprise of some. “This season was about me trying to prove those doubters [wrong]. “When you achieve things, it helps reaffirm to yourself that you are doing the right thing.”
Perhaps the most pertinent comparison is not with his peers, but his predecessors. Monk has taken Swansea to 40 Premier League points in a season quicker than Brendan Rodgers or Michael Laudrup. He is on course to top their record points total, 47, and secure their highest finish. The chance to make history is a carrot. “We are seven points away,” he noted.
This win, thanks to Kieran Trippier’s own goal, was a sign of their evolution. It was a product of solidity but Monk is adamant they have not compromised their passing principles. “It is still the No1 philosophy and my philosophy as well,” he countered. He believes the statistics support his argument that style remains.
“In 20 games out of 27 we have had the most possession,” he said. “I can show you a number of games where we have scored after 25 or 30 passes.”
Now Europe is back on the horizon. “This is the problem, expectations,” said Monk. “You have got to dream but you also have to be realistic.” But expectations are the burden of the achieving manager. They are something he may have to get used to.
Man of the match Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea City)
