Impending Europa League fixture gives Swans the perfect opportunity to bounce back
With the dust settling from Saturday's dismantling at the hands of Robin Van Persie and Danny Welbeck, we've had some time to reflect on our first glimpse of a few of our new signings in league action. Despite looking impenetrable for large swathes of the close-season, the Swansea defence couldn't keep out Manchester United and I'm wondering if the withdrawal of Leon Britton at half time was the wisest move we could have made.
Jose Canas displayed everything I expected in his first league performance. Booked within minutes of the game kicking off, the hirsute Spaniard seemed intent on tackling anything that moved, and charged around with abandon until he was replaced by Ki in the 77th minute, but with the team chasing the game and structure in the midfield needed, I have to say I'd have thought it would have made more sense to remove Canas at half time as opposed to Britton. On a yellow, his natural game was always going to be hindered slightly and I felt that at times his enthusiasm saw him hinder the team shape. Watch the third United goal - he comes careering back from midfield and runs across Ashley Williams, which gave Van Persie enough room to pick his spot.
I'm not really criticising - I thought on the whole he had a good game but I feel Britton, and the late substitute Ki Sung-Yueng are both players who, when we're under the cosh, will ensure the team holds it's structure. Tactically they're both excellent, and in holding their shape it allows the rest of the team to bomb on. Just because you're chasing goals doesn't mean everyone has to abandon the traditional team structure at the sight of a potential breakout.
I do worry for Ki. He seems to have been marginalised of late and I was really hoping we'd get a chance to see him playing further forward this season. When the signing of Canas was announced in June I was hopeful this would mean Ki would get more gametime at attacking midfield, but the more recent arrival of Jonjo Shelvey seems to have put the Korean right to the back of the queue of midfielders who want to stake a claim for a first team place.
Hopefully we'll see Ki in action against Petrolul on Thursday. We're likely to see a raft of changes to the starting eleven, and while this was no doubt always going to be the case you feel that given the final scoreline Laudrup may make one or two changes he wasn't planning on prior to the United game. Whether they would be necessary given the difference in standard of opponents is debatable, but we could see a number of players given a chance to stake their claim.
Michel Vorm acknowledges they were undone by a better team on Saturday, and is looking forward to having a chance to put things right on Thursday:
"I know we had a couple of European games before the season kicked off, and some people were talking us up before this game, but we certainly weren't getting carried away. We started off well and, as a team, we knew we were playing against a top quality side.
"They know how to win the Premier League and they are one of the best sides in the world. Their efficiency is what makes them Manchester United and we aren't at that level.
"We have another game on Thursday and we have to focus on that immediately. The first game we lost 4-1 and everybody is down. We have to analyse it, pick out the good points and there are 37 games to go.
"It is good to have a game come so quickly after a defeat like this. We have a game on Thursday that is for a place in the group stages of the Europa League and we shouldn't forget that. It is something special and we will be ready for it." Swansea 'keeper Michel Vorm
He does like a jib in the press does Michel, but he's right. We've got a game this Thursday for a place in the group stages of the Europa League, and if we make it that far I'd back us to do well. After seeing off some big Premier League teams last year there's no reason to fear any team we may come up against, and if we do get past our Romanian opponents Petrolul Ploiesti I'll be very excited to see who we draw.
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