Chris Davies exclusive interview: New Tottenham assistant on Leicester exit, Swansea success and Pep Guardiola | Football News
7 min read
It has not been a total break from football for Chris Davies since leaving his role as assistant manager at Leicester City. In fact, it has been a time to learn and improve. He has just returned from visiting major clubs in five different countries.
« I went to Atalanta and Monaco, then came home and did Villarreal and Benfica before going to Wolfsburg, » Davies tells Sky Sports. « It was about culture and mentality, right down to how they play, train and recover. It was really invaluable. »
There were new ideas. But, thankfully, it was not all alien. « It was reassuring because I have not come back thinking that I was doing everything wrong, » he laughs. Villarreal was where he felt most at home, he reveals. « Possession-based football is my core idea. »
This was an idea that formed long before his involvement in Leicester’s FA Cup win, before the trophies with Celtic, that title tilt with Liverpool and the promotion with Swansea. The key to his union with Brendan Rodgers was that these ideas chimed with him.
« I remember sitting in the stands at Watford as a kid and counting the number of times we made five passes in a row. It was not very often but I began to understand at a very young age that every time we had some continuity, something good would happen. »
He found a like-minded soul in Rodgers, who became his coach when he was captain of Reading’s youth team. At the time, there was resistance even within the club. « I remember a bit of scorn from the older coaches towards Brendan and his ideas, » says Davies.
I still saw comments from opposition managers in matchday programmes almost belittling that style of play. There was one particular manager who called it academy football in his programme notes. That was the season that Swansea got promoted.
« He was in his twenties and had to withstand that criticism of his ideas about football because it was not the norm. When he went to Swansea, it was still in its infancy in English football. In the Championship, we were the only team doing it in a clear way.
« There were a lot of coaches who were telling their players to get on the ball and express themselves. But there is a big difference between that and a structured organisation. They are two very different things. One is off-the-cuff and the other is intentional.
« I still saw comments from opposition managers in matchday programmes almost belittling that style of play. There was one particular manager who called it academy football in his programme notes. That was the season that Swansea got promoted. »
Swansea City players celebrate during their 2011 play-off final win at Wembley
After their play-off success at Wembley in 2011, Swansea became the Premier League’s pass-masters, achieving a mid-table finish thanks to an unusually patient build-up play that foreshadowed the shift in style that was to occur over the coming decade.
Manchester City completed 10,581 passes inside their own half this past season, with four other teams within 2,000 passes of that total. But when Swansea made 10,303 such passes in the 2011/12 Premier League season, that was 2265 more than the next team.
« Swansea was the right club for those ideas about football, » Davies explains. « Roberto Martinez had created this new way. Paolo Sousa added to that. Then Brendan came. It was the perfect fit. Swansea are still doing great things in terms of style of play. »
In the years since leaving Swansea, Rodgers, with Davies alongside him, showed that there were other ways to win. At Liverpool, he built an effective counter-attacking side. At Leicester, Jamie Vardy won the Premier League golden boot under him.
But possession remains the key for Davies. « The core idea of controlling the ball to control the game is still, overall, the better way to get results. There are other ways and for different sets of players, there is specificity. But for me, it is still the best way.
« Ultimately, it is about believing it is effective. I worry when I hear people talking about its aesthetic appeal. If you do it because of an image, whenever there is difficulty you will revert to something else. You have to believe it is an effective style of football.
« I think Pep Guardiola is a pragmatist. People say he is a purist. I fundamentally disagree. If he truly thought that he could adapt to be more effective he would do it. He is convinced this is the best way to play football effectively. He has proven that he is right.
« Ederson drilling the ball 70 yards behind the defensive line and creating a new dynamic in the build-up? That was Pep being pragmatic. The use of Erling Haaland as a reference against Arsenal when they pressed man-to-man? That was Pep being pragmatic. »
Chris Davies alongside Brendan Rodgers during their time together at Leicester
Tactics remain a fascination. Davies, 38, is intrigued by the different formations being used in and out of possession. « Teams are pressing in a 4-4-2. Arrigo Sacchi’s shape is back in fashion. But with the ball, it is completely different as they rotate to a 2-3-5. »
Another key change has been to the build-up play. « What has come into the Premier League just recently is the idea of the pause. Brighton are very good at it. They pause on the ball. Previously, everyone was trained to play fast, flowing football. But they wait.
« In certain moments, the game becomes completely static because they have their foot on the ball. And then, they will accelerate to break the press or they will pick the right moment. That is because they are very intentional in trying to attract pressure.
« They know what they are doing. Rather than just passing the ball across the back line quickly because it feels quick, they are waiting. They know that is not the way to gain an advantage because it is not necessarily helping to break past an opponent. »
Kolo Toure (left) and Chris Davies flank Brendan Rodgers on the Leicester bench
The frustration, of course, is that while every coach wants to test themselves at the highest level, after back-to-back fifth-place finishes and two trophy lifts at Wembley, Leicester’s dramatic decline saw the club drop out of the Premier League this season.
Rodgers and Davies had already departed in April. After years of success for the coaches and the club, Davies could only watch on television as Leicester’s relegation was confirmed. « You never want the people you have worked with to suffer, » he says.
« But I can only say good things about Leicester. That reflects the people there, coming from the owner, who was outstanding, I must say, from start to finish. I am personally confident that Leicester will be one of the teams to bounce back next year. »
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He acknowledges it was « a lesson for every club in how quickly you can slip », but insists there was no animosity. « When Brendan spoke to the players as we left, it was an environment where there was still a lot of togetherness, actually, » he adds.
« Sometimes it can be quite cynical when you leave a football club. I still felt warmth and togetherness there. Unfortunately, for a multitude of reasons, we had this negative momentum that we could not stop. The results were just not there.
« There is no destination in football, it is such a journey that is about creating memories, like winning the league in 2016 or winning the FA Cup in 2021. That is what football is about and Leicester will be back creating more memories for the fans in the future. »
A setback, then, but a learning experience in a career full of them. From working with Sky Sports’ own Jamie Carragher at Liverpool. « He had that winning mindset and still had a lot to offer so we could have kept using him. But he is doing a great job on telly! »
To three seasons of domestic domination at Celtic.
« There is no city like Glasgow for its footballing intensity. You have two massive football clubs and all the historical, cultural, political, religious rivalry that exists, adding layer upon layer to it. You have to experience it to believe it. It is pure passion. »
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He recalls taking on some media responsibilities, becoming accustomed to this « scrutiny of the highest level » during his time in Scotland. These experiences have all been good reference points, understanding how the top clubs operate.
Now confirmed as the new assistant manager to Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham and refreshed by his recent club visits around Europe, Davies is continuing his development as an elite coach. Expect Spurs to enjoy the benefit of that growing experience.
