Silence is golden for Swansea City says Garry Monk

14th July

The Swans had a lot to shout about last season, but manager Garry Monk wants his team to be more vocal this term.
After setting new records for finishing position and points gathered in 2014-15, the Swans boss is now concentrating on raising the decibels within the squad.
During one of the sessions held out in Grassau as part of the club's tour to Germany, the training ground fell silent for a few minutes during a passing drill as the players were banned from speaking.



"It's a communication exercise," explained Monk. "We are a little quiet as a team in certain aspects of the game.
"So it was just to show them that when you don't talk to each other how difficult it can be to play football. We need to communicate more and that was an element I wanted them to see."
The week-long trip to South Germany includes double training sessions along with friendly matches against Borussia Monchengladbach and 1860 Munich.
It is a vital part of the campaign for the Swans, and Monk has been delighted with the progress made already.
"We started on Monday with double sessions and it's been going really well," he said. "It's all geared towards preparing the players properly. We have concentrated on physical work in the morning and tactical play in the afternoon, so we're taking a lot from being out here.
"We started a fortnight ago in Landore and the players have a great base level of fitness, so we can now work on sharpness. The games coming up will help match fitness, but we are looking to produce a bit more sharpness in their football and the tempo of the passing.
"At the moment it's going to plan."



Based in Grassau - an hour from Munich - the Swans have been surrounded by idyllic scenery, with the picturesque mountains setting a fine backdrop for each training session.
And the Swans boss believes it has been a perfect location for putting his plan together for the forthcoming Barclays Premier League campaign.
"We were obviously due to go out to Dallas this year, but this area is very different - very scenic, more secluded and far more concentrated for the players," added Monk.
"When you go to a big city it also has benefits in terms of plenty of things for the players to do. But it depends on the group you have - if you have a trustworthy group like we have then it doesn't matter where you go. We proved that last year in Chicago.
"But if you have a livelier group then you'd probably pick the more secluded one.
"Here, we are with each other 24 hours. We eat, train and relax together. It's all about those details that add up to the players getting to know each other and forming a bond.
"This is a great training camp. We are seeing the benefits already."



The Swans take in their first pre-season fixture on Wednesday night when they face Champions League qualifiers Borussia Monchengladbach here in Grassau (6pm local time, 5pm BST).
It could give Monk a first look at summer signings Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Franck Tabanou, Andre Ayew and Eder in action.
And the Swans boss is looking forward to the opening tour test.
"Monchengladbach had a fantastic season and are in the Champions League, so it's a very tough test for our first game," added Monk.
"It's not so much about results at this stage. Obviously we'd like to win, but it's more about where we are fitness and match fitness-wise.
"It's the first step for the players to get some minutes against an excellent side. We'll continue to build from there."

Follow the game tomorrow night against Borussia Monchengladbach (kick off 6pm local time; 5pm BST) with live updates on our Twitter account while a full report will follow after the game via www.swanseacity.net

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