Swansea City praise Brendan Rodgers after their coaches’ trip to Celtic

Swansea City has praised their coaches’ trip to Scotland, where they studied Celtic’s methods under current boss Brendan Rodgers. All photos shown below are from Brendan’s time as Swansea boss…

Brendan Rodgers, manager of Swansea, looks on during the FA Cup Fourth Round match between Bolton Wanderers and Swansea City at the Reebok Stadium on January 28, 2012 in Bolton. (Photo by Clint Hughes/Getty Images)

Brendan Rodgers was in charge of Swansea from 2010 to 2012, guiding them to English Premier League promotion before departing for Liverpool.

Now competing in the EFL Championship, Swansea’s academy coaches travelled to Glasgow last month to gain an insight into coaching techniques and witness the Hoops’ 3-0 Scottish Premiership victory over Dundee United.

Swansea Manager Brendan Rodgers and QPR manager Neil Warnock share a joke before kick off during the Barclays Premier League match between Swansea City and Queens Park Rangers at the Liberty Stadium on December 27, 2011 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Celtic’s display against Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout playoffs has also been a source of inspiration, as Rodgers’ team came close to forcing extra-time in the Bavarian capital, despite the thrilling two-legged tie last month.

Liam McGarry, the head of coaching at Swansea City’s academy, expressed that the club will aim to model their approach after Celtic’s ‘match template’ as they develop the next generation of players.

Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers and Fulham manager Martin Jol look on during the Barclays Premier League match between Fulham and Swansea City at Craven Cottage on March 17, 2012. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

As reported by the official Swansea City website, McGarry said: “Celtic’s match template encapsulated so many principles and characteristics that we are hoping to establish or further develop back in Swansea. Our aim as an academy is to work tirelessly to attempt to punch above our weight and be the thorn in the sides of many big clubs.

“After we returned to South Wales, we were delighted to see how well Celtic performed in Germany against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. It was great to see so many hallmarks of Brendan Rodgers’ playing philosophy shine through against such top-level opposition.

“Brendan Rodgers was incredibly generous with his time and open with his industry leading knowledge, and there is no doubt that was largely down to his care and affection for Swansea City.

“It was amazing to gain insight into how Celtic play, with and without the ball. Whilst there were a lot of similarities in playing styles, with both of us being ball dominant and possession-based teams, Brendan and his coaching staff still gave us a lot to think about and to take back to Swansea.

Brendan Rodgers, manager of Swansea City looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Everton and Swansea City at Goodison Park on December 21, 2011 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

“Brendan spoke so fondly and passionately of his time at Swansea City and he was extremely complimentary about the city, the people and the football club.”

Conor Spence