Former Chelsea team-mate William Gallas has heaped praise on Swansea City’s assistant manager Claude Makélélé.
Makélélé was brought in alongside manager Paul Clement, and the side has shown a remarkable improvement defensively since he arrived.
Swansea kept their first clean sheet of the new regime in their 2-0 win over Leicester City, but have looked like a more stable unit than under Bob Bradley.
What did Gallas say?
Gallas said: “He made my job easier. When you had Claude Makélélé in front of you, then you played with a cigar in your mouth. That’s how it felt.
“Now the players at Swansea are benefiting from the same advice and knowledge that Claude was giving me.
“I’ve not been surprised by Swansea’s improvement because I know Claude and what he wants from the players. He will demand their maximum effort in training every day.”
Gallas also praised Clement, saying that before he arrived it was difficult for Swansea but now the players look like they have some confidence back, and that helps the manager get his message across.
How much better are Swansea defensively?
Since Clement and Makélélé were appointed, Swansea have conceded 10 goals in six Premier League games, averaging at 1.6 per game.
Before they came in, Swansea conceded 44 goals in 19 games for the season, averaging at 2.3 per game.
This is before taking into account the tough run of games that Clement and Makélélé have had, with away fixtures at Liverpool and Manchester City. They have also had to face Arsenal and Southampton already.
For the season, Swansea are conceding 14.2 shots per game. During the pair’s six games, they have conceded 12.1 shots per game.
Perhaps more impressively, other than the Manchester City game, Swansea have held their opponents to a shot count lower than their season average in each game under the new regime.
As a unit, they look so much more cohesive. A settled back four of Kyle Naughton, Federico Fernandez, Alfie Mawson and Martin Olsson has performed much better than the ever-changing defensive setup that Bradley employed.
The whole side looks more focused defensively, with the midfield trio of Leroy Fer, Jack Cork and Tom Carroll working extremely hard when the team doesn’t have the ball.
Swansea’s defence will be put to the test in their next game against Makélélé's former club Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge on Saturday at 15:00.