Swansea City boss Michael Laudrup: 'If we don't concentrate, we will lose'
MICHAEL Laudrup has called on Swansea City to put talk of player unrest to one side and focus instead on beating Wigan Athletic.
Laudrup spoke to the Evening Post in his first interview since stories were published in the national media last week claiming some members of his squad are unhappy with his methods.
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Michael Laudrup
The reports suggested senior Swansea players had rebelled over Laudrup's training sessions and tactical approach — and that they had expressed their concerns in a series of meetings with chairman Huw Jenkins.
Swansea's manager says there will always be unhappy players at any club because only 11 can play each weekend.
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But he also stressed the need for his entire squad to come together ahead of Saturday's meeting with Wigan.
"I said when I arrived here that everything I do, I do for the team," Laudrup said. "Even when I was a player it was the same. Yes, I was an individual type of player, but I was always a team player.
"I would always think about what was best for the team, and we have to do the same now.
"I am always thinking about the team, and right now we all have to think about the game on Saturday.
"There are other things we may have to deal with when the time comes, but the most important thing is the team and especially the game on Saturday."
Laudrup is bound to have been disappointed by the inflammatory newspaper stories, which emerged after a run of four Premier League games without a win.
They have not helped the Swansea cause as they prepare for Wigan, a big game given that Manchester City and then Chelsea are next up in the league.
"For me the most important thing right now is the short term, and we have to look at the next game," Laudrup added.
"I know from my time as a player and a manager that you will always have players who are not happy — the players who are not playing are not happy.
"There will always be some small stories, that is normal, and when you have four or five games where you don't win, people try to get a little bit more from these stories.
"That's part of football — it is always like this with the players who are not playing.
"But this is not the time to start talking about this or that or who or why.
"It's not about forgetting (the stories), but we have to put it behind us because if we talk about something that is not related to the game on Saturday, we lose focus.
"When you talk about individual players instead of the team, you lose focus on the game.
"You talk and talk and suddenly oh, there's a game — then you lose the game.
"Instead we say focus on the game and we will see further down the line if we have to deal with something. I don't know now."
Jenkins and Swansea skipper Garry Monk have given their backing to Laudrup's regime in the wake of the recent stories.
Laudrup, meantime, is waiting for news of Swansea's international contingent before picking his team for the Wigan clash.
Comments
by KP287
Thursday, October 18 2012, 3:19PM
“So if the stories are correct, a number of players have been questioning the managers training methods, why they aren`t playing and style of play. Football is a team game, so if the team as a whole have not approached the chairman or manager then a group of individuals have! Therefore these are not team players, get rid!! We have a manager who as a footballer is at another level compared to our players, most if not all would never reach that level, we started well against QPR and West Ham. We still have the same players able to play the same way, so why aren`t they? Do they think they are better than they are? Do they think they know better than the manager? This seems typical Premier League fotballers syndrome, suddenly they know best, they think they are better than they actually are. Do not be surprised if this continues Michael Laudrup walks away, any disruptive players need to go now. You only have to look on twitter and see the tweets from the Swansea players PLP Syndrome and materialistic objects seem more important that the football.”
by slagheap
Thursday, October 18 2012, 2:23PM
“Hadoken 784 There are stastics,stastics and damn lies,the inescapable fact is we havent beaten anyone yet,and the realy big boys are yet to come.Time to go back to the style we have played for a number of years,otherwise I fear for us.”
by Hadoken784
Thursday, October 18 2012, 12:29AM
“Statistically we will lose around 20 games, win about 10 and draw about 8.
That assumes a tally of around 40 points.
So the reality is our season is kinda going to plan. I am sure we will gel more over the next two months and do ok.
We know we are not going to win the league anytime soon and that is fine, we are aiming to become a sustainable mid table club for the next few years.
Humble but important ambitions.
If someone told you we would be in 11th place 7 games in most will have gladly taken it.
If we have done that with some obvious mistakes I think I will remain optimistic...
its to early, but if it makes you feel better...
by 7 games 8pts current
by 14 games 16 pts minimum target
by 21 games 24 pts minimum target
by 28 games 32 pts minimum target
by 35 games 40 pts minimum target +safe target+
3 games to spare..
So if we aim for 8 pts per 7 games which is VERY humble we will easily stay up.
And do not forget, there are 9 teams below us, though its quite tight!
A win against Wigan will go a long way, if we lose, I think there will be genuine cause for concern, I actually rate this game more important than the reading one.”
by Hadoken784
Wednesday, October 17 2012, 11:05PM
“It almost sounds like he thinks they are true by implying the person who leaked it is one of the non players.
I will give it till january until I form an opinion. I think ML has to realise that we had a winning formula last year, no one wants to abandon that, my impression was we were going to refine it and add a bit more spice.
We have to allow him his own freedom, but he has to understand this is not something for him to have fun with, staying up is vital, so if something is not working, we need to fix it fast because we cannot afford to lounge around in this legue and lose games we should be winning.
I am not too worried.
I would have bet even money on the villa game.
Same with Sunderland and we did well for the draw.
I would have bet AGAINST swansea winning against stoke and everton.
I would have thought we should have won the Reading game, but the way we came back and were all over them made me think we did actually win it, even if we did not get the 3 points.
So for me, I think we are doing ok, I think we have a HOLE in our system though, and I am not sure if this is just a temp thing or a MAJOR flaw in the tactics, but we are giving away too many goals and we are never going to move forward if we do that.
Swansea have allowed more shots in their box than any other team in the pl, that is a stat I saw on the BBC and someone at SCFC should be paying close attention to that and looking to figure out why this is the case....”
by trncjack
Wednesday, October 17 2012, 6:15PM
“looking further down the line ! This is classed at crisis management , nip the problem in the bud,,,,, NOW,,, that is if the stories are true ,which i am begining to think there might be something in them, If players are unhappy the first person to talk to is the manager, and this has (according to some) been bypast , hj should have told them where to go ,THE MANAGERS OFFICE”