Wigan Athletic must look at Swansea City, Roberto Martinez blueprint with envy: View | OneFootball

Wigan Athletic supporters must be jealous of the way in which Swansea City have continued to implement Roberto Martinez's style of play

Roberto Martinez's managerial career can be viewed as an inspiration to many managers in the Football League, as he won the 2007/08 League One title with Swansea City, a feat which earned him a move to then-Premier League, Wigan Athletic, in 2009.

Martinez has gone on to manage Everton, as well as Belgium and Portugal on the international stage, but he is still held in the highest regard by Latics supporters, courtesy of the fact that he guided the Latics to FA Cup glory in 2013, an achievement beyond the wildest dreams of any Wigan fan.

But although the Spaniard had managed to deliver the FA Cup to WN5, he did not manage to maintain the Latics' Premier League status for another year, hence his move to top-flight outfit Everton, who were a very stable and promising Premier League club when he took the managerial helm at Goodison Park in 2013.

Aside from his surprising trophy-winning exploits with the Latics, Martinez is best well known for his brand of possession-based football, and heavily encourages his teams to play out from the back no matter the calibre of opponent in comparison to his side.

The positive brand of football instilled by the former Swans and Tics manager is an ethos which the South Wales outfit have maintained at the club, as seen with appointments such as Brendan Rodgers, who took the club from the Championship to the Premier League in 2011, and Michael Laudrup, who won the EFL Cup with Swansea in 2013, coincidentally the same year Martinez enjoyed cup success with Latics.

Latics must be jealous of Swansea's Martinez blueprint

Since the Spaniard traded South Wales for Greater Manchester, the Swans have often opted to appoint a manager whose tactics are similar to that of their 2008 League One title winning hero.

Recent examples include Steve Cooper, who guided the club to the 2021 Championship play-off final, but ultimately lost out at the final hurdle, as Brentford ran out as 2-1 victors at Wembley. Graham Potter and Russell Martin, who have both now managed in the Premier League, also adopted very possession-orientated philosophies.

As per the club's website, the Swans boasted an average possession of 50.6% throughout the 2020/21 Championship season under Cooper.

Cooper also landed a play-off spot with the Welsh outfit in 2020, following a 2019/20 campaign in which his side had enjoyed an average possession of 52.9%. Prior to that, in Potter's sole campaign (2018/19), the Swans boasted a 57.4% average, teeing Cooper up nicely.

By the time Martin was appointed in 2021/22, Swansea were ready to post a ridiculous average possession of 63.4%. It's the ultimate Swansea way, and other managers like Michael Duff, who haven't quite brought the same methodology, have ultimately failed on the back of Martinez changing the club's ways.

Since Martinez left the Swans in 2009 following promotion from League One, the Swans have never set foot in the third tier again.

In fact, they have enjoyed a seven-year stint in the Premier League, and are currently in their seventh consecutive Championship season, while throughout this period the club have emulated Martinez's blueprint by opting for managers who have a similar footballing ethos.

The Latics, on the other hand, tasted their greatest glory days under Martinez, and have generally speaking been on a downward trend ever since, despite three promotions from League One in 2016, 2018 and 2022, and currently reside in the third tier.

Immediately after Martinez left the Brick Community Stadium to join Everton, and following the club's relegation to the Championship, the Latics chose to appoint Owen Coyle, whose direct style of play could not be more distant from that of his successful predecessor.

In hindsight, Coyle was always destined to fail with the Tics with this contrast in style in mind, and so it proved as the club parted company with him in December 2013, just months on from the club's cup triumph.

By 2015, the Latics were relegated yet again and have struggled to become a stable Championship club ever since, regularly bouncing between the second and third tiers.

It cannot be ignored that the club's relegation from the Championship to League One in 2020 came as a result of administration, while their drop from the second tier to the third in 2023 also came as a result of monetary issues.

But unlike the Swans, the Latics have not followed Martinez's blueprint in the same way, which many supporters will feel is a contributing factor as to why they are not a stable second tier outfit such as Swansea.

Even during League One promotion winning campaigns overseen by Paul Cook and Leam Richardson, Wigan adopted a more direct playing style, while Gary Caldwell, who captained the side under Martinez, was sacked by former chairman David Sharpe in October 2016, just months after winning the third tier title with the club.

Maloney can finally be seen as a Martinez disciple

However, at long last, the Greater Manchester outfit seem to have learned their lesson with the appointment of Shaun Maloney in January 2023.

The former Scotland international played for the Latics under Martinez, and in fact assisted Ben Watson's FA Cup winning goal in May 2013.

Maloney was also one of Martinez's assistants at Belgium, before becoming a manager himself, so the Spaniard is a key influencer in terms of the Scot's managerial tactics.

During his first full season in the dugout at the Brick Community Stadium, Maloney guided the Tics to a first half finish following the conclusion of a 2023/24 campaign which the club began with an eight point deduction.

He has also re-established a possession-based ethos at the club, and supporters now enjoy seeing their club play out from the back, a style which is aided by the quality likes of Luke Chambers, a young full-back on loan from Liverpool.

Latics fans will hope that under Maloney's Martinez-esque guidance, their club can finally become a solid Championship side in the long run, just like the Swans.