Swansea City missed "opportunity" highlighted after John Eustace blow | OneFootball

Swansea City have had a tough start to the season, which has led them to sack Michael Duff just over five months into his tenure.

Duff was hired in the summer from Barnsley after he had one season with them in League One and led them to the play-off final, losing 1-0 to Sheffield Wednesday.

There was promise around Duff's appointment due to how he had got Cheltenham Town up to League One and then he continued to climb the ranks to Barnsley, showing consistently how he could fight for promotion.

However, that has been far from the case with Swansea as at the time of his sacking he had the club in 18th place after just five league wins while his footballing ideology has not proven a fit with the 'Swansea Way'.

So the Swansea hierarchy decided not to wait any longer before they are in a relegation scrap as they are only five points off the dreaded drop zone.

There has been plenty of reaction to the sacking of Duff and EFL pundit Carlton Palmer has shared his thoughts on how they should replace him.

"John Eustace is one name..."

John Eustace has reportedly ruled himself out of the race for the Swansea job but Palmer believes he could've been a great fit.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said: "Swansea are on the lookout for a new manager after the sacking of Michael Duff. Swansea will be keen to make their next appointment someone who can incorporate their style of play.

"John Eustace is one name that immediately springs to mind. John is currently out of work and turned down the opportunity to manage Swansea in 2021 due to personal reasons.

Would John Eustace be a good appointment for Swansea?

Eustace was in a job at the start of the campaign as he was in charge of Birmingham City and then involved in a heavily criticised sacking as he was dismissed after back-to-back wins to be replaced by Wayne Rooney.

The 44-year-old's spell at Birmingham was his first managerial role in the Football League and only his second-ever job as a manager, due to previously being an assistant at QPR and the Republic of Ireland.

He only led Birmingham to 17th place last season with a pragmatic style of play and in the game he had during this campaign it was clear to see that had not changed.

In wins against Bristol City and Plymouth Argyle, the Blues had no more than 36% possession, according to Sofascore, emphasising how he performs best when he has to instruct his side how to sit deep.

His last game in charge, which was a win over West Brom, was the same as his side only managed to have 41% of the ball.

Of course, this wouldn't really matter at some clubs as long as he is getting wins, but for Swansea City, it will be a big factor as the 'Swansea Way' is to dominate the ball with slick passing moves to open up defences.

Duff was an uneasy change to that style, and it didn't work, so hiring Eustace may not have brought a return to aesthetically pleasing football, which is what supporters will want to bring the excitement back to the Swansea.com stadium.

However, given his relatively short career so far there is time for Eustace to develop as a coach, but the evidence so far shows his preferred style is pragmatic rather than possession-heavy.