Swindon Town have opened pre-season with a clear defensive overhaul, with Ian Holloway taking direct inspiration from Spain’s World Cup-winning approach without the ball. The 63-year-old boss has spent the close season drilling his League Two side in a more aggressive, collective press after they shipped 59 goals in 2025-26 - the most of any top-half team.
What went wrong last season?
Last term’s defensive record left Swindon 15th for average start distance and 17th for high turnovers, while their passes per defensive action of eight placed them only eighth in League Two. Holloway’s plan was always to compress play and force mistakes, but the numbers showed Town rarely forced opponents into errors high up the pitch.
The nadir came in a 5-1 reverse at Crystal Palace in May, when Palace boss Pierre Sage admitted his side struggled to play through Swindon’s press. Holloway told reporters afterwards: “We had three or four people going, and they almost won it, and the last one was asleep. We managed to put a Spanish press on people, which is a massive credit to us.”
How does the new system look?
Town’s front five now block passing lanes as a unit, while holding midfielder Gavin Kilkenny drops deeper but steps in once the first wave breaks through. Against Palace in a pre-season friendly, Swindon had five players within 30 yards of the goal kick in under seven seconds, forcing Romain Esse into a backward pass that Aaron Drinan and Paul Glatzel pounced on to win a penalty.
In the same game, six Swindon players pressed high when Chesterfield took a goal kick; Tayo Adaramola’s attempt to dribble through a forest of Town shirts ended with Matty Virtue slipping Fletcher Holman in for the opener.
Why Spain’s style?
Holloway has repeatedly cited Spain’s relentless defensive work rate as the template for Swindon’s rebuild. The World Cup winners’ ability to win the ball back within seconds of losing it aligns with Holloway’s long-standing philosophy: “I know we were a lot better than the score. You can’t just mark someone, you have to adjust yourself, and all go together.”
What’s next for Swindon Town?
Pre-season friendlies continue before League Two’s curtain-raiser, with Holloway still chasing a defensive midfielder to shore up the spine. The club sit ninth on 75 points from 46 games, 12 adrift of Bromley, and have conceded 59 goals again this season - a figure they must cut sharply to climb the table. League standing: 9th in League Two, 75 pts, 22W-9D-15L from 46 games, recent form LLDLW.
