“Very-loved” Portuguese coach Vítor Matos leading Swansea’s promotion charge | OneFootball

Swansea City’s Portuguese manager Vítor Matos celebrates victory over Derby County (Photo: Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)

Vítor Matos is the latest Portuguese manager making a name for himself in England.

The former Marítimo coach laid the foundations for the islanders’ promotion back to the Portuguese top flight last season, before leaving midway through the campaign to take over Championship club Swansea City. In terms of career progression, what on the face of it looked like a big risk now appears to have been a positive step for the 38-year-old.

Matos had an excellent impact on the Welsh club upon his arrival, and has followed it up with an even more impressive showing this season. Swansea currently lead the standings after eight matches.

Curiously, three of the top four places in arguably the most competitive second tier anywhere in the world are occupied by clubs coached by Portuguese managers. Matos is top of the pile, ahead of second-placed West Ham United, coached by Nuno Espírito Santos, and César Peixoto’s Wolves in fourth.

Welsh football journalist Sioned Dafydd is an expert on football in her country and Swansea City in particular, reporting for and presenting shows on S4C, Sky Sports and BBC Sport Wales. PortuGOAL interviewed her to find out more about the “Vítor Matos effect” on the club and how he is viewed by the Swansea supporters, as well as checking in on a recent new recruit who also has strong connections to Portuguese football, Stephen Eustáquio.

Sioned explains how the “positive mindset”, “charisma” and “enthusiasm” of Matos has contributed to the recent success of an ambitious club on the up. She also is full of praise for the instant impact former Porto midfielder Stephen Eustáquio has made at Swansea.

To listen to the interview in full click on the Play button below. A transcript of the interview is provided underneath.

PortuGOAL · All about Swansea manager Vítor Matos, with Welsh journalist Sioned Dafydd

PortuGOAL: “What do people think about Vítor Matos at the moment?”

Sioned Dafydd: “You know what? They love him. I can only describe him as a tonic for Swansea City. Since he’s come, he’s such a brilliant character, you can tell how much he loves the club, the relationship he has with the fans.

“He’s very charismatic, very enthusiastic, but he’s getting the results as well, which obviously is the most important thing and helps massively in terms of how Swansea City fans feel about him at the moment. Obviously, things change very quickly in football, but he is very very loved.”

PortuGOAL: “Yes, you are top of the league. When he went there, what were the expectations? Was a promotion push expected? Did you think they would be doing as well as they are doing?”

Sioned Dafydd: “When he came in, Alan Sheehan had just left, so he came in halfway through the season and I think the big difference, so far this season, is that he’s had a full pre-season with the squad, which he didn’t have previously.

“The club have also backed him. For the first time in many seasons, we have spent a significant amount of money, and no disrespect to the previous players, but we bought very good players, so I think it’s that combination of being able to settle in, find his feet, having a pre-season, and having that financial backing as well.

“And the fact we’ve been able to keep players. Zan Vipotnik was the top scorer in the Championship last season and he’s stayed. He could go in January, who knows, but the fact we still have him… it just feels like things have clicked for Swansea City and for Vítor Matos.”

Vítor Matos spent almost half a decade working alongside Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool (Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

PortuGOAL: “You mentioned the word ‘charisma’. Looking at his career path, Matos worked for a long time (4-5 years) with Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, who is known as one of the most charismatic coaches in football. Do you think it’s a natural part of Matos’ personality, or do you think he got some of that from Klopp?”

Sioned Dafydd: “It’s a good question. I’d say it’s a combination of both. Luckily enough I’ve interviewed Vítor a few times now, and just when he walks into the room, he’s always got a big smile on his face, even after a defeat.

“His mindset is very good. He comes across as a warm person, a bit like Klopp, so I would not be surprised at all if that personal influence has rubbed off, especially someone as influential as Klopp. I can imagine he spent a lot of time in his company.”

PortuGOAL: “I don’t think you’re going to like this question! He did very well at Marítimo, laying the foundations for their promotion, but then left halfway through the season.

“We’re talking here outside Alvalade, Sporting’s stadium, and they’ve had a shaky start to the season, and their manager is a little bit on shaky ground. There have been lots of articles about possible replacements should he be dismissed, and one of the names that has been mentioned is Vítor Matos.

“You’ve spoken about how much he is loved at Swansea and how he is settled there, but if a club of Sporting’s size came in for him, do you think he would leave?”

Sioned Dafydd: “That’s a tough question to answer. I would 100% understand the appeal, obviously with the connection to his home country, and a fantastic and a massive club like this, but it would feel to me a bit premature considering how early it is in his career. It would feel like a massive risk.

“And with the expansion of the playoffs in the Championship to eight teams I think Swansea have a very good chance of finishing in the playoffs. So I guess the Sporting thing wouldn’t be a “never” but probably a “not now” for Vítor, just because it would feel a bit premature. It would be a big risk for Sporting.”

PortuGOAL: “There is another player with a very strong Portuguese connection at Swansea at the moment – Stephen Eustáquio. A very good player and a regular for Porto, and he had a very good World Cup for Canada. With all due respect to Swansea, it was quite a surprise when he left for a club that were not in the top division of their country because we know the quality he has. What kind of impact has he had and how has he settled at Swansea?”

Stephen Eustáquio in action for Swansea against Wrexham (Photo: Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)

Sioned Dafydd: “He has absolutely become one of my favourite players very quickly, with his influence in that midfield. He has just slotted straight in. My favourite kinds of players to watch are like him who read the game so well. All it takes is just one pass from him and it unlocks the entire defence and everything flows so well when Eustáquio is on the pitch with us.

“I was delighted when I found out that we’d signed him because he did really well for Canada, one of the home nations at the World Cup. So to sign him, and Elijah Just from New Zealand as well, the fact we were signing players who were at the World Cup, it shows the backing that Vítor Matos has had, and how ambitious Swansea are.

“But I’m glad you brought Eustáquio up because he has been so impressive so far this season. He could have gone to a club at a higher level but we’re glad he’s at Swansea!”