Rob Edwards says his Luton side have shown they can combat teams that command possession and believes the recent cauldron of Kenilworth Road will also help tip the balance of a tactical battle he expects again his old team-mate Russell Martin when Swansea come to town.
The Welsh side are famous for their passing, patient style and the last time they were in town they came back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3, having gobbled up 73 per cent of the ball.
Swansea did likewise in the reverse fixture this term, claiming 75 per cent of the ball, even thought the Hatters won 2-0, though that was before Edwards’ tenure which, since his appointment in November, has seen Luton evolve their style of play, which has brought a greater share of the ball.
And in Tuesday’s pulsating draw against play-off rivals Millwall, the Hatters racked up 62.5 per ent of possession as they came from 2-0 down to claim a point.
But the stats don’t always tell the whole story because last month runaway league leaders Burnley managed 57.5 per cent of the possession, yet snatched an unlikely win from the penalty spot against a Luton performance that, even in defeat, earned Edwards and co and standing ovation after the final whistle.
Recent history suggests Swansea will gobble up more of the ball on Saturday, but that doesn’t bother the Luton boss, who said: “They’ve got such a clear identity and a clear way of playing, which to me, as a coach, suggests that they know what they’re doing. They know how they play, they train it and then they commit to how they play.
“We’ll obviously try to find the answers to cause problems for them. In the main, we’ve done that very well when we’ve come up against teams that do like to control the game, especially at our place, at home.
“So we’re under no illusions, it’s gonna be another really difficult game again and as every Championship game is, but they do cause you real different kinds of threats to a lot of other teams because of the way they play. So, I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be a good tactical one.”
While results at home have quite matched performances of late, those present at Kenilworth Road for the last two games will have seen a side that given them plenty to be positive about.
Edwards said: “What we’ll try and do is look after what we can control and all I know is at the moment for us is there’s a real feelgood factor at our ground, at Kenilworth Road, and every game our fans have been fantastic and are right behind our players.
“If we play with that intensity our fans will make it a really difficult place to come for any other team, and they’ll certainly spur our players on, even at 2-0 down the other night, they’re right with us and right behind us and it helps so much, it really does.
“I can’t tell you how much that helps and if we get our bit right and we get our intensity right and we get our performance right then I don’t really care what other fans do or the opposition players. It’s about us and what we can control and the atmosphere we can create, especially at home so I’m looking forward to our players starting in a real positive way and getting our fans going.”
Edwards doesn’t need any more motivation to pit his wits against his Swansea counterpart, though he’s hoping to make more of an impact as a manager than his short three-game 2011 spell as Martin’s Norwich team-mate.
The Hatters chief said: “I was someone who just floated into his (Martin’s) vicinity for a little while. He was a real top servant for that football club and grew and ended up being captain and did great for the club.
“I came in for about three months and rode on the back of their success and part of a little bit of a promotion there, it was a great time and I really enjoyed getting to know Russ as well.
“I’ve got a lot of time for him as well. (He was a) really good player, really good man and I love what he’s about as a manager or head coach, whatever his title is there. He has really strong beliefs, real clear identity and clearly a very talented coach.”
Despite the admiration, Edwards is in charge of a Luton side sitting in the Championship play-offs, nine places and 11 points better off than Swansea, who have only won twice this calendar year.
“I won’t comment at all on where they are in the in the table,” said Edwards, adding: “They have got a real clear identity. Russell’s really strong on how his team plays and fully believes in it. And obviously that was a big part of his remit when he was recruited.
“That’s how he plays and him and his coaching staff are really good at it. He can deliver on that. So in terms of how they coach and how they play, I can only speak very, very highly of them.”
