What lessons can we take from Monday's performance?
Sometimes you come away from a football match with the feeling that what you've just witnessed is pretty much what you were expecting, or have come to expect, from your team. Given how the Swans have developed a definite playing style over the last few years, generally it's been fairly easy to predict how we would fare against most teams, but since Laudrup's influence on the team has grown greater it's started to become quite difficult to call the outcome, style of play or even team selection ahead of any given match.
With Shelvey alongside Britton in midfield and Michu ahead, it's always going to be hard for us to control the midfield. At the moment, that midfield trio is just too...well...non-Swans for me, and in the first half we did struggle to impose ourselves. Shelvey likes to wander, and at one point Michu spent the best part of five minutes playing at something akin to "Right sided defensive midfielder" - Leon is good, but even he can't make up for the tactical naiveties of his midfield counterparts all the time.
Shelvey obviously drew pretty much all of the attention last night after his first half showing, and understandably so. After scoring inside the first 90 seconds, he proceeded to gift Liverpool two goals before settling and going about his business for the rest of the match, and more respected people than myself have commented that it speaks volumes about the character of the man that he carried on, and if anything upped his level of performance as the game wore on. He gave a very emotional interview post-match:
While the sentiment is good, I think he'd already done more to redeem himself than any words could. It would have been so, so easy for him to disappear for the rest of the game, but the fact that he didn't could be a sign of better things to come. Sometimes there are moments which define a player's career - I doubt there'll be many more memorable matches than that for Shelvey - and we can only hope this match can prove to be the catalyst as he looks to kick on into the next phase of his career.
Sticking (partially) with Jonjo, I still have my doubts that the best team we can put out features all three of Michu, Bony & Shelvey. The balance of the midfield has appeared off of late and the lack of composure in the Swans' engine room has been noticeable - I feel with Shelvey ahead of Leon & one other central midfielder (I really like the idea of Leon & Canas alongside each other), with one of Bony & Michu up top, we'd be a much more balanced outfit and results (and performances) would improve dramatically.
Against Liverpool, for example, in the first half we struggled. Once De Guzman replaced Dyer at half time, however, the Swans gained a foothold in the game and looked a lot more likely to get something out of the game. Ok, he was playing out wide but he's traditionally a more central player and the impact he had on the game was plain to see. A good substitution by Laudrup, one feels, and further evidence of the impact a more traditional midfield three has was in evidence when Pozuelo came on later in the half for Bony. He's looked excellent from what we've seen so far, but it did seem to stabilise and add a great deal of balance to the midfield.
That's not to say Bony and Michu aren't developing an understanding. On a number of occasions they showed signs of a burgeoning partnership and I don't want anyone to think I'm being critical of either player, it's simply that at present I think we'd be better off picking three proper midfielders and one forward, as opposed to trying to accommodate our "best players" in the starting XI.
In defence, pretty much everyone had a really good game throughout. Rangel looked wobbly up against Moses in the first half, but he settled after a while and got to grips with the winger, while Davies, Chico & Ash all put in excellent performances. For me, Davies was my MOTM and he's turning into a proper marauding full-back. I was loving the vociferousness with which he was calling for the return pass after playing a little pass inside and going past his man down the line - he appears to be developing more and more confidence and clearly feels he's an important part of the team now. Neil Taylor must be starting to worry Davies has cemented the first team berth as his own...
Chico & Ash are turning into the two players you can actually predict the performances of, and for good reason. The Swans' centre-backs are looking a formidable pairing and time and again they nullified Liverpool's attacking forays with timely tackles, headers and interceptions, and the pick of the bunch came late in the day (possibly even in injury time? My memory fails me...) when Chico pulled off what can best be described as a flying scissor-backheel to cut out a pass which seemed to be setting Liverpool free down the line. Outstanding.
After we seemed to turn a corner at West Brom it was followed up by an even better showing at home to Liverpool, and I'm more confident than ever that we can turn around what had become a very poor run of league form. If we play like we did on Monday night we'll have nothing to worry about. Bring on Valencia!