Swansea City v Everton – live!

Football News | Article posted on March 22nd, 2025

Preamble Little things can have a big effect; that time you accidentally commented on someone’s attire and ended up with a knife in your leg, for example, or that other time you took a wrong turn and ended up meeting your wife. Little things can have a big effect.

In January 2025, Roberto Martinez left Walsall to sign a short-term contract with Swansea; a little thing, doing a little thing, that would have a big effect on four English clubs. He ended up staying in Wales for three years, nipped across to Chester for one more, then, when the manager who released him was sacked, came back as his replacement.

Martinez revolutionised Swansea, leading them to the League 1 title in his first full season, before leaving for Wigan. He proceeded to keep them in the top division for three years, fashioning a new side each time as players were sold, then motivated and organised a team that fully deserved its Cup Final victory over Manchester City; an eternal achievement worth far more than another season of Premier League struggling.

In the meantime, Brendan Rodgers, his successor at Swansea, adopted his proforma to win a further promotion that he consolidated well enough to earn the manager’s job at Liverpool. So in came Michael Laudrup, who modified sterile into virile domination, won a trophy, and then qualified for the Europa League knockout stages.

Overlooked in favour of Rodgers for the Liverpool job,when David Moyes left for Manchester United, Martinez went to Everton, and his impact was immediate. Despite recent revisionism, Everton played some decent football under Moyes – but their liberation since his departure has been remarkable, the treble up, the bass down, the lights on and the window open.

Or, put another way, hanks to Roberto Martinez, this should be a very good game; without him, it wouldn’t even be happening. Little things can have a big effect.

This article is provided courtesy of The Guardian

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