Captain Angel Rangel Blames Swansea's Struggles on Club's Loss of Spanish Identity

Swansea captain Angel Rangel regrets the way the club's flowing football has been lost over the years, and believes the change in style a big reason for their current struggles.

The full-back, who has seen a lot of change during his 10-year stint at the Liberty Stadium, reckons the 'Spanish' philosophy instilled by former manager Roberto Martinez was what aided them in their rise to the Premier League.

Stu Forster/GettyImages

Spaniards such as Andrea Orlandi, Gorka Pintado. Jordi Lopez, Jordi Gomez, Albert Serran, Alejandro Pozuelo, Jose Canas, Chico Flores, Jordi Amat and Fernando Llorente have all come and gone, and Rangel thinks their departures have hit the club hard.

He told the Independent: "That is my way, and I think now I miss it a bit. You can see that Swansea don’t do it now. We always talk about it, some of the players who have been here a long time. 

Tom Dulat/GettyImages

"That’s the way we succeeded. Why are we changing it? That’s my only question. I know we have different players now, different managers. But the philosophy of the club could still be in place. And it’s not."

Swansea are currently rock bottom in the Premier League, and look set for a slog of a season unless Paul Clement can inspire a turnaround.