Rodgers: Barcelona Are My Inspiration

Brendan Rodgers says Spanish champions Barcelona are his inspiration ahead of tomorrow’s home game against Doncaster Rovers – another team like us who like to play an attractive passing style of football.

The Swansea City manager admits that he couldn’t implement his style at many football clubs in the English League but says Swans fans are ‘knowledgable’ and have an understanding of the way we play.

Rodgers also praised Doncaster manager Sean O’Driscoll for implementing a similar style to his at the Keepmoat Stadium:

‘The model of my coaching life has been based around Barcelona,’

‘I have spent time in Spain watching them and they are my big influence.

‘I read a brilliant article with (Barcelona midfielder) Xavi this week.

‘He made the point that while everyone talks about players needing to be technically better, it starts in the stands.

‘As he said, if Jamie Carragher makes a strong clearance and the ball goes into the crowd, he will get applause.

‘If (Barcelona defender) Carles Puyol does that in Spain, there is nothing from the crowd.

‘But if a player over there can’t deal with the ball, the crowd will whistle.

‘A lot of clubs in this country wouldn’t be allowed to play football like we do because fans don’t want to see it.

‘But thankfully the Swansea crowd are knowledgeable. They understand what we are trying to do, and I think it is the same with Doncaster.

‘I think a lot of people have said over the past few seasons that they and us are the two best footballing teams in the Championship.

‘There are others who play ? Middlesbrough will start to do it under Tony Mowbray, and Norwich with Paul Lambert. I wouldn’t like to say we are the best two teams, but Swansea and Doncaster share a philosophy and a way of wanting to play.’

Rodgers also believes that Doncaster’s midweek 6-0 loss at home to Ipswich Town makes it a ‘dangerous game’:

‘Sean is a wonderful manager,’ Rodgers declared.

‘And if anyone deserves to go and work at the top level, it’s him.

‘Like me, he is in the minority in this country when it comes to philosophy. It’s a lot harder to coach a team to play football and win than it is to coach a team to win. But he has been doing it for a number years, first at Bournemouth and then with Doncaster.

‘He is a thinking manager. He can change formations two or three times in a game and I enjoy that as the opposing manager. He will always have you thinking.’

‘The fact that they lost 6-0 means this will be a really dangerous game,’

‘Football pride comes into it after a result like that ? like when Wigan lost 9-1 to Tottenham last season but won the next game 1-0.’