Claridge On Painter

Today's Guardian includes the following article from Steve Claridge talking about Swansea's very own Marcos Painter. The article reads: -

"For some, the opportunity to play top-flight football comes early in a career whereas others, like myself, have to work hard for many years before they get their break. It actually took me 12 years of graft, but who's counting? Marcos Painter falls into the former category. A product of the Birmingham City academy, he enjoyed a brief dalliance with the Premier League, making a handful of appearances for Blues, before he took the decision to seek regular first-team football elsewhere, at a lower level. The quest to rescale the peak has taken him to Swansea City and I was interested to check up on his progress.

Painter is a left-back who offers safety. Indeed, the first thing that struck me about his game was that he was quite brilliant on the cover. He twice made last-ditch tackles when the situation looked hopeless, one after just two minutes, and this showed that mentally, he was alert from the off. I know that Steve Bruce, the Birmingham manager, raved about his attitude and when I watched Painter, against Bournemouth, his preparation was spot on, as was his communication with others around him, and his ability to organise them. I liked the way that he got someone to mark in front, on throw-ins against or any dead-ball situations, which meant that the opposition rarely got the ball in to feet. Painter is a hands-on defender, in the literal sense of the term. He constantly messed about with his opponent, showing a physical presence to make life difficult, even when the ball was on the other side of the pitch. He was also very fast to support his left-winger and, once or twice, when the play was switched, he surprised me by making up ground so quickly, showing that he had seen the move develop early.

Painter is not overly blessed with natural ability. When he was isolated in the final third, one-on-one with an opponent, he struggled to beat him while he must have forgotten to pack his shampoo, so reluctant was he to head the ball. This was alarming but he got around it by allowing his centre-half to attack anything on his side. He would then tuck in and drop off for anything flicked on. On another occasion, he went into a tackle with the wrong foot, preferring his stronger left, mis- timing the effort and being beaten easily.

In the main, though, he defended well, rarely getting exposed and still finding the time to overlap his winger. I did think that his runs were more to divert the opposition than to receive the ball but he timed them well and his judgment was sound.

I loved the way that he engaged the opposition right-winger high up the pitch, sometimes as far as 60 yards from his own goal, and his passing appreciation, while he was rarely under pressure, was good.

Painter, a Republic of Ireland Under-21 international, might not boast great skill but I like players who think about the game and how best to use the attributes they have, even if they are more limited than others. Making it back to the Premier League, however, might be a step too far."

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