Swan's Captain Admits 'Club Has Lost Its Identity and Now It's in a State of Decline'

Back in the summer of 2007, Angel Rangel arrived at the Liberty stadium from Terrassa signed for £15,000 - £10,000 of that fee he self-funded. 

As an inquisitive individual, Rangel was looking to get educated in the British way regarding its footballing values, but his intention was never to stay for too long. 

Nevertheless, the Spaniard fully embraced Welsh life and still he remains now in his 11th season at the club, which has seen far more peaks than troughs during his time.

Speaking to the Independent, Rangel talks about his pride being involved in a football revolution at Swansea City under the initial guidance of foreign manager Roberto Martinez, which propelled the club through the leagues to their final destination of the Premier League. 

However, the defender now admits that the Swans are a club in decline: chasing managers, players, slipping back down the league and losing the identity which made them successful. 

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Although it seems once again they are going through yet another period of transition, for a player with such a clear sense of how the game should be played, he regrets that the football he loves is 'fading away'. Rangel explains with some sadness: “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. 

"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.”

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The club heads into the busy festive season sitting bottom of the league, four points from safety and having only won one of their last five league games. Games against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Watford loom on the horizon, but Swansea continue to 'scrap' unconvincingly for results. 

Their current approach to games is a far cry from the fluid and eye catching style that made them an enjoyable team to watch and a breath of fresh air in the English game. 

Regenerating that original philosophy - with the current squad - could be the catalyst to saving their season and ultimately their Premier League fate.