Norwich Vs Swansea

Norwich Vs Swansea: A Russell Martin masterclass.

Score: 0 - 3

Possession (%): 22 - 78

xG: 0.75 - 2.22

· Swansea’s positional interchanges and inverting full backs.

· A disengaged, failing Norwich press.

· Wagner’s second half changes.

· Why is Russell Martin so impressive?

Base Formations:

Norwich and Swansea were both set up in a 4-2-3-1 shape, but as always it’s important not to focus exclusively on these shapes. Both sides transitioned into different formations in and out of possession. Idah frequently joined Sargent to create a 4-4-2. Sargent and Idah switched sides numerous times in the first half.

In the first phase of Norwich’s build-up, the home side moved into their usual 3-4-1-3 shape with a staggered midfield three. Sara and Gibbs created a double pivot while Núñez occupied the space behind the front three.

In response, Swansea pressed aggressively in a 4-4-2 shape with Luke Cundle (18) moving into a front two alongside Piroe (17). Ntcham (10) and Grimes (8) were tasked with staying tight to the Norwich double pivot while the wingers, Cullen (20) and Paterson (12), applied pressure to the full backs.

Typically, Norwich escape pressure by finding the player in a number ten position; against Swansea, this player was Marcelino Núñez. But Swansea’s nearest centre back, often Ben Cabango (5), backed up the away side’s man orientated press by closing down the Chilean.

When playing on the edge of Swansea’s half, in the second build-up phase, Norwich frequently transitioned into a back three build-up shape. Generally, it was either Max Aarons or Liam Gibbs who dropped to create this line of three.

But it was out of possession that Norwich had real problems. For a large proportion of the game, their press consistently failed.

In the first phase of their build-up, Swansea created a 3-4 shape with their goalkeeper, Andrew Fisher, stepping up between the centre backs. Norwich pressed in a 4-1-3-2 formation with Idah and Sargent cautiously pressing the Swansea centre backs. Núñez and Gibbs were tasked with staying tight to Ntcham (10) and Grimes (8), while Hernandez tracked Latibeaudiere (22), and Sara marked Cundle (18) between the lines.

The away side always had numerical superiority against the first and second lines of Norwich’s press; as a result, they constantly had a free player in the build-up. Together, Ntcham (10) and Grimes (8) played a crucial role in Swansea’s build-up. With Gibbs forced to follow Ntcham (10), and Manning (3) staying high and wide on the left, Swansea had an easy out-ball on the left wing.

Norwich’s pressing structure made if far too easy for Swansea to escape. Once they had escaped, they also had a clear overload on the left wing.

Swansea also managed to disengage Norwich’s already passive press through numerous positional interchanges.

Manning (3) and Latibeaudiere (22) frequently inverted to create an overload in midfield. These inversions often created a 3-2-2-4 shape as Grimes (8) and Ntcham (10) moved beyond the first and second lines of Norwich’s press to create a box midfield.

In the second phase of the visitor’s build-up, there were more variations in their shape. Latibeaudiere (22) often joined a back line of three while Grimes (8) and Manning (3) created a double pivot. With Gibbs drawn to press centrally, Ntcham (10) became the free man out wide. This was one of many variations of Swansea’s shape in possession.

Eventually, Norwich adjusted their failing 4-1-3-2 press by adding Sara to the second line of pressure. This meant Nunez and Sara could press Swansea’s double pivot, leaving Gibbs to mark Manning (3) or Ntcham (10). It then became Sorenson’s role to jump onto Cundle (18) to create a 3-1-4-2 shape.

This allowed Norwich to press with man-orientation, but it created a 3v3 against Swansea’s front line and left significant spaces in behind. These spaces were exploited in the build-up to McCallum’s red card.

After half time, with Norwich down to ten men, David Wagner’s changes were clear. Norwich’s passive press became even more passive when they switched to a 5-3-1 with Byram replacing Idah. Hernandez dropped into the back five as a wing back, while Sara, Núñez, and Gibbs created a flat midfield three behind Sargent.

Swansea’s second half dominance provided a great example of a perfectly balanced and structured team. They predominantly set up in a 2-3-2-3 shape with a box midfield. Manning (3) and Latibeaudiere (22) inverted alongside Matt Grimes (8), while Ntcham (10) and Cundle (18) occupied the half spaces. Paterson (12) and Cullen (20) provided the width, while Piroe (17) frequently dropped deeper to overload the midfield.

This shape is impressive for so many reasons. By inverting their full backs, the distances between players involved in Swansea’s build-up are minimal. The smaller the space between players, the easier it is to maintain ball possession and counter-press if possession is lost. The proximity of players in the build-up – creating a strong rest defence – is a feature that even Daniel Farke’s Norwich lacked.

While Russell Martin’s side are compact in their build-up, they are offensively expansive. They will often have both wingers pushed against the touchline to create maximum width, thereby stretching their opponent’s back line to open gaps through which they can progress.

Comparatively, under David Wagner, Norwich are far more expansive in the build-up. Wagner favours high and wide full backs to allow the wingers to invert. It is not uncommon to see vast spaces in central areas when a Norwich midfielder drops between the centre backs. The large distances between players often leave Norwich with central inferiority in possession, and it leaves them vulnerable during defensive transitions.

Everything about Swansea’s setup was impressive: the inverting full backs, the proximity of players in the build-up, the maximum width offensively, the manipulation of a pressing structure, the creation of overloads and superiority, the positional interchanges. Russell Martin has managed to find a balance between offensive fluidity and defensive structure, a balance that even Daniel Farke struggled to find.

Ultimately, Saturday’s defeat was a game characterised by Swansea’s dominance and Norwich’s struggles out of possession.

For those who stayed in their seats, the second half especially was a painful watch on Saturday. For many, anger and frustration will have been the overriding emotion; for others, perhaps a hint of jealousy.