Matos on tactics, Klopp's influence, and taking Swans to top of the league
Swansea boss Vitor Matos spent five years as an elite development coach at Liverpool, but it would be unfair to paint him with a Jurgen Klopp-shaped brush entirely.
When Vitor Matos assumed the role of manager at Swansea in November 2025, there were worries about a possible relegation. However, almost a year later, the team is leading the Championship just ten matches into the season. Considering Matos's limited managerial experience of just 12 senior games before joining Swansea, the appointment seems to have been a wise move.
Matos's coaching career, spanning 23 years across numerous countries and various roles, has shaped his tactical approach. Prior to his tenure at Maritimo, Matos worked under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool for five years as an elite development coach, followed by a stint as Pep Linders' assistant at Red Bull Salzburg. Speaking to the journalist, Matos shared his influences and his principles of football.
He emphasized the importance of counter-pressing, intensity, and growing as a team, which he attributes to his time at Liverpool. While Klopp's influence is evident, Matos also credits his development at FC Porto and his time at Shandong Taishan for influencing his tactical philosophy. When asked about his managerial priorities, Matos highlighted the need to make the team feel confident and fall in love with playing together.
He also mentioned the shift from a back four to a back five formation, which provided consistency to the players and formed the basis of their pressing and counter-pressing system. Matos believes in taking a holistic approach to each player, understanding them as both footballers and individuals before implementing his system. He spoke about his time at FC Porto, where he developed a positional 4-3-3 system, focusing on timings, spaces, and waiting for the ball to arrive at the right moment.
This season, these principles have been successfully implemented by Swansea, allowing them to disorganize both zonal and man-marking defenses. Matos emphasized the importance of good positioning, overloads around the ball, and relentless off-the-ball running to create opportunities. The dynamic and roaming full-backs, in particular, have proven to be instrumental in undoing opposing defensive strategies.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Sport's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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