A 60-year-old foreign manager with a nomadic managerial career is drafted in by a club desperate to avoid returning to the lower league football which its fans had previously become accustomed to.
It didn’t work out for Fulham and Felix Magath, and questions have to be asked whether it will work for Swansea City and Francesco Guidolin. Both men arrived at the clubs having managed historically bigger teams earlier in their career; Magath having managed Bayern Munich and Guidolin Monaco. Both managers arrived to save a club in a perilous position but with no experience of the Premier League to help them do so.
While the similarities may make Swans fans uncomfortable, their club is undoubtedly better equipped to avoid relegation than Fulham were. Nevertheless, Guidolin will need to hit the ground running and hope his arrival can bring fresh impetus to the side over the next five weeks. During this time, Swansea face Everton (winless since Boxing Day) and West Brom away, in addition to home matches against Crystal Palace (without a win since 19th December) and Southampton. After this the club face away matches at White Hart Lane and the Emirates so if they haven’t picked up points before then, the Swans will be in danger of dropping like a stone.
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