Swansea 1-2 Everton - There's no shame in that...

Swansea outmatched by Martinez's men

Another game against Everton, another defeat. This weekend's victory stretched the Liverpudlian's unbeaten record against Swansea to seventeen games, but they had to work hard for the three points and despite the result having a distinct air of predictability about it, to describe the outcome as a foregone conclusion would be unfair on the Swans.

I actually started this blog on the train up to London as I'm off to Thailand (I know, lucky me...) today, but the intracacies of using my new-fangled smartphone meant instead I spent the trip ruminating over the match, trying to piece together a decent report, and that's how I've found myself using pay-per-minute internet in the departure lounge of Heathrow typing this up. I almost feel like a journalist...

For what it's worth, I thought for long periods of the match we were excellent. Given Everton's run of form in the buildup to the game (god knows how many unbeaten, best defence in the league, lost the least amount of games of any UK team), you would have been forgiven for expecting an Everton whitewash. Not so. We harrassed and harried their midfield throughout, and I thought that Shelvey and Canas were excellent. De Guzman faded as the game wore on, but he still put in more of a shift than normal. One action in the first half summed him up for me - he bust a gut sprinting to close down the Everton left-back (or at least he was where you'd expect the left-back to be), and I remarked how impressive this was given his usual work-rate. He then proceeded to amble back with Everton advancing forward at speed. Not good enough Jon, you need to work harder than that.

Aside from that, it seemed a case of Everton just wearing us down. We tried our best, but couldn't match the quality and clinicality of their play in the final third, and in Lukaku they had a more or less unplayable, unmoveable object with which to base their attacks off. As much as I love Bony, Lukaku gave a masterclass in "big man up topism", and for a while everything played to him seemed to stick in one form or another. Later we did manage to press him and cause him to make a few errors, but overall he was excellent. Bony, contrastingly, had a quiet game but did show signs that he'll (once fully accustomed to life in these climes) be able to operate in a similar manner.

In defence, and this may seem harsh given I only watched it online and could well be wrong here, I thought that Ben Davies put in a bit of a Jekyll & Hyde performance. Generally, he was excellent. Everton's opener, however, did come from his side (though whether you'd attribute that to the winger leaving him exposed I don't know) while their winner (Barkley's free kick) came as a result of a foul by Davies, which he was cautioned for. He's been out of position for a couple of goals already this term, and as much as I love him he does still have a lot of learning to do. Possibly time for Taylor to get a little run in the team? I don't think that would do Ben any harm, and given Davies seems almost assured of his first team place at the moment it could inspire improved performances off the back of a little added competition for the left-back spot.

Another talking point seems to be whether Tremmel could do anything about either goal. Most seem to think he should have got to the first while Barkley's free-kick was unsaveable, but I see it the other way around. Coleman absolutely creamed the opener, but their second goal finished it's arc quite central to Tremmel's goal, and I do wonder whether he could have got to that. I saw a tweet regarding the German's organisation of his defensive wall which stated "if he keeps building walls like that he'll end up working for <insert building firm> Homes". Ha.

Overall, I thought we did ok. Hell, it could have been a lot, lot worse. Despite again not playing to the best of our abilities, we held a great team for much of the match until a moment of individual brilliance won it for our opponents. Far from the end of the world, and reports of booing at the final whistle are quite alarming if truth be told. I've got my reservations about a couple of things going on at SA1, but losing to Everton shouldn't be a booable offence. Especially not when we only lost 2-1 and pushed them close for the majority of the match.

One look at the fixture list tells me we've got Chelsea (away), Man City (home) and United (away in the FA Cup) in our next four games. Play like we did against Everton, and learn from our mistakes, and we should be just fine.

Swansea v Everton - Match preview, team news, predicted lineups, prior form, statistics & analysis

The Match

Swansea dug their heels in well against Norwich and earned a hard-won point against a side they've traditionally struggled against since their rise to the Premier League. Handy, given that their next opponents (Martinez's Everton) are a side against whom they have an even worse record - having not win a single match against the Toffees in sixteen attempts. Worse still, we haven't even managed a goal against them since promotion to the PL, but Martinez's side will look vastly different to the Moyes' era side which repeatedly outmuscled and outfought our beloved Swans. Hopefully we can continue our good form against Martinez sides, but Everton are very much a different animal to Wigan.

Everton are absolutely flying right about now. Unbeaten in nine games since losing 3-1 at Man City (their only loss of the campaign so far), they now boast the joint-best defence in the Premier League - quite remarkable for a Martinez side. Much like Rodgers benefited from Sousa's year in SA1, I feel Martinez is benefiting from Moyes' lengthy [defensive] tenure at Goodison. With a win at Old Trafford, a draw at the Emirates and a demolition of Fulham in recent memory, this fixture is likely to hold no fear for the Toffees who will arrive full of confidence and swagger. This looks likely to be the toughest test of the season so far (Man City away not included), and they'll have to be at their absolute best if they're to secure even a point.

Prior Form (Most recent at top)

Team News - provided by Physioroom.com's Ben Dinnery

Mixed injury updates this week for Michael Laudrup as his battered Swansea squad begins to look a little stretched. Firstly the news that no Jacks fan will want to hear, Spanish forward Michu is a major doubt for the trip to Everton due to an ongoing ankle problem & unless there is ‘significant improvement’ he will miss out. The player is due to see a specialist to discuss potential options, but an operation is required & a decision will be made whether it can be delayed; otherwise Michu’s season could be over. Michel Vorm went under the surgeons’ knife this week to help remedy a knee injury, the Dutch goalkeeper was hoping to remain active until the New Year but after aggravating the problem further against Norwich the club decided to call for immediate action. The full extent of the injury is not yet known, but doctors were expecting to tighten ligaments, trim cartilage and clean out bone fragments. No definite return date but initial reports suggest in excess of a month.  However with every cloud comes a silver lining and Swansea are hoping to welcome back duo Chico Flores (knee) and Leon Britton (toe) on Sunday after the pair returned to training this week. The Spanish defender was suspended last weekend while Britton has been out since the end of November. And finally good news relating to influential midfielder Nathan Dyer, both the player and club feared the worse last week after he was stretchered off with a suspected fractured ankle but scans have since revealed no break; ligament damage the prognosis. The player could now return as early as late January.

For Everton boss Roberto Martinez the injury Gods appear to be shining with very little happening across at Finch Farm (Evertons’ Training Ground). Long-term absentees Arouna Kone (knee) and Darron Gibson (ACL) are expected to miss most, if not all of this season which leaves only one or two slight niggles ahead of the trip to the Liberty Stadium. Full-back Leighton Baines (broken toe) has returned to training but Sundays game could come too early, a more realistic target would be on Boxing Day. Tony Hibbert has also recovered from a minor knee injury but a place on bench at best is all he can hope for.  The only other concern the Toffees have this week is Gerard Deulofeu, the youngster is expected to miss around five weeks after tearing his hamstring at Goodison last weekend against Fulham.

Completely guessed lineups

Statistics & Trivia

• The Swans have failed to score in all four of their PL meetings against Everton (L3 D1).
• Everton have never lost in any competition to Swansea (W12 D5 L0).
• Everton boss Roberto Martinez started his managerial career as boss of Swansea City winning 50 per cent of his 126 games in charge.
• Roberto Martinez has failed to win his four previous Premier League games against Swansea (D1, L3).
• Swansea should become the first side to reach 10,000 passes this season (average 597 per match and have made 9549 in total).
• Swansea have lost just once in their last six Premier League games (W2, D3).
• Everton have lost fewer games (1) than any other Premier League side this season.
• Only Southampton have conceded as few goals as Everton in the Premier League this season (15).
• Swansea's sidelined midfielder Nathan Dyer had scored three goals in his last six Premier League appearances.
• Everton defenders have supplied seven goals in the Premier League this season, more than at any other club.
• Michu has failed to score in his last seven Premier League appearances - his longest drought since joining Swansea.
• Swansea have taken only 38 points from 34 Premier League games in 2013.
• Only West Ham have kept as many clean sheets as Everton (8) this season in the Premier League.
• Everton have lost seven points from winning positions this season. Prior to this weekend, only Manchester City (eight) and Sunderland (11) had worse records.

Straight from the horse's mouth

Michael Laudrup gives Martinez massive credit for Everton's good start to the season ahead of this Sunday's match:

“He has done a great job. It is difficult to come into a club who have had the same manager for 11 years. In the last ten years they are also around the top half of the league, and that was with a smaller budget that a lot of teams. So to come in and want to change the way of playing is even more difficult.

“I have watched their last four or five games and they were outstanding against Arsenal at the Emirates. They have kept a lot of their best players and made a huge signing in  Lukaku on the final day of the transfer window.”

http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/laudrup-everton-1246903.aspx?#irWy2jqxwu9RjLhI.99

Leon Britton acknowledged how much we owe Bobby when speaking to the official site:

“They’ve had a great start to the season. Roberto’s come in, and it seems as though they have just hit the ground running. They’ve got a good squad there, but Roberto has come in and put his own stamp on things. He has his own ideas – which we know about here – about how he wants his team to play.

“Watching them recently, they’ve been playing really well, but it’s not a surprise to anyone here at Swansea. He had a massive impact here as a player. He then took on the manager’s job when he was very young, which might have surprised people, but, again, he had a massive impact.

“Straight away, he changed the way we played to 4-3-3. The training changed, as well as pre-season – everything was with the ball. You talk about where we are now, but I think he started that, if you look back maybe seven years ago.

“We owe Roberto a lot for what he did here.”


http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/britton-everton-h-1247182.aspx?#0DUlTXjw3fYjZaHT.99

Analysis

Even more so than the Man City game, this is one match I'm really not confident about. Everton are absolutely on fire, and with Lukaku leading the line they'll be confident of scoring against any team. Whether Ash and whichever Spanish compadré he lines up with can stop the Belgian from finding the net will be fairly crucial in deciding the result of the match.

I'm hopeful Leon will return to the team, but the form of Canas may see him take up a position on the bench. Whoever plays in the centre (and that includes Shelvey, JDG & Poz) will have to be on their game as Barry, McCarthy & Barkley form a cohesive unit who seem to have already forged a brilliant understanding, and the game at the Liberty will prove a stern test of their footballing credentials.

Hopefully Bony will find some form (and the back of the net) and trouble Jagielka & Distin, but I'm going to buck my trend of "always predict a Swansea win" by saying, hopefully, that we'll draw this one. With the joint-best defence sitting behind an effective football midfield, and in turn the midfield operating behind Lukaku, I think Everton would be more than a match for most football sides.

Fingers crossed, but I'm not expecting anything come 6pm on Sunday.

Michu wants Aspas to come in, but should he be saying such things to the press?

Swansea forward has followed up on "I dream of a move to a big club" quotes by stating publicly he (and others) want Aspas to move to SA1 on a loan deal

Last week, we had to deal with various articles published in the mainstream media based around comments made by Michu regarding how he "dreams of a move to a big club". These comments were tempered (although how much depends on what newspaper you read it in) by his assertion that he is happy for now at Swansea, and that he's not thinking of a move elsewhere. Despite that though, there does seem to be a bit of a consensus view that something's not quite right. His body language has been strange for a while and his form hasn't been amazing - even before the injury which kept him out for a few weeks.

The latest quotes to come from the floppy haired Spaniard came as something of a surprise, given that there hadn't been any talk about Aspas in recent weeks. Normally there'd be some smoke before the fire raged into full view, but it's hard to view the below comments as anything other than a "Please come join us" plea:

"We [Swansea's Spanish players] are hoping he can come here on loan. It would be a pleasure to play with him. Iago has had injuries, but he has quality. He deserves to play in the Premier League. He has been unlucky. 

"At Liverpool, they have Luis Suarez and Sturridge, who have scored a lot of goals. Suarez is, along with Diego Costa and others, one of the best strikers in Europe." Michu  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25452182?

Do we need Aspas? If I was Bony, I'd find it hard to look at those comments and not take them as some kind of snub, and considering Michu's hardly been setting the world alight this season (and he often plays in a similar position to the one coveted by Aspas) it seems a bit strange to come out with comments of this nature.

Obviously Aspas can play out wide as well as through the middle, though how effective he is in an "inside forward" position I can't say, having not seen him play all the much. All I know is I've seen a video of him headbutting someone on the floor, and that he has (understandably) struggled to break into Liverpool's team due to the good form of Sturridge & Suarez. I'm not going to use that as a way of judging him, but I do wonder what kind of wages he'd be on - we could do with a number of additions to the squad now, but I think centre-forward isn't necessarily an area we need bulking out in. With Bony, Michu & Vazquez already rotating in one position, do we need anyone else?

I asked fans on Twitter what they made of the comments, and whether Aspas would be a good signing, and it brought a mixed reaction:

@TheSwanseaWay yes it doesn't say much about his confidence in Bony does it!!
— Martin Jones (@TycochJack) December 19, 2013

@TheSwanseaWay i agree with him as he can also play on the wing and he offers something different to Bony and Michu
— Michael Fletcher (@MiniFletch14) December 19, 2013

@TheSwanseaWay Aspas has got pace & could arguably play wide, especially as our wingers play fairly narrow anyway. Cover for Dyer?
— Rhys Padarn (@lordpad) December 19, 2013

@TheSwanseaWay Aspas is a mate of his, hardly surprising he'd want him here. Nothing wrong with more strike options imo!
— Phil Bettany (@philbettany) December 19, 2013

@TheSwanseaWaywe only got one loan and we need a keeper , and he turned us down in the summer
— geraint batetr (@gizz1988) December 19, 2013

@TheSwanseaWay He's getting a bit noisy is Michu. Head turned?
— colin lewis (@ligarius) December 19, 2013

@TheSwanseaWay aspas is on different level to vasquez mate, simple as that!
— julianmallows (@Napperjack18) December 19, 2013

@TheSwanseaWay makes sense to me more options and creativity is a good thing, bring back Ki and send J De Guz the other way too! #Swans
— Ryan Sturdy (@sturdy_3004) December 19, 2013

@TheSwanseaWay Very different player. I'd like to see him here.
— Gareth Baglow (@GarethBaglow) December 19, 2013

What do you think of Michu's comments? Would you like to see Aspas brought in? Get involved in the comment section below!

Ki's goal against Chelsea shows Swansea what they're missing

Cultured Korean is fast becoming a fan favourite on Wearside, but will he fancy returning to SA1?

In one of my least favourite pieces of transfer wheeling and dealing over the last few years, we let Korean international midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng join Sunderland on a season long loan. As various statistic based articles I put together towards the end of last season will attest to, I'm a massive fan of Ki and firmly believe he should be retained for next season - regardless of how much Sunderland may want to retain him.

Since Poyet took over from the tyrannical Paolo Di Canio at Sunderland, he's been effusive in his praise for the on-loan Swansea player and I'm sure I saw one quite describe him as "the best player at the club". Despite operating in a defensive role since moving south from Celtic, he's been moved forward in the last few matches with almost immediate results. He has the technique, vision and composure to be a massive success at attacking midfield, and Sunderland look set to reap the rewards of having the confidence to play him in a more advanced role.

I was bleating for all of last season that he should be played ahead of two defensive midfielders, but I seemed to be on my own with that one. Hopefully though, now that he's got a chance to make a name for himself further forward that'll see him return to SA1 both confident in, and noted for his prowess in the final third. As this video attests to, he's got a cannon with both feet and given the chance he can score goals.

One thing I am growing concerned about is whether Ki will want to stick around in SA1 come summertime. Rumours of a falling out with Laudrup remain unconfirmed, however it seems he fell dramatically out of favour last season, and with one year left on his contract (by the time his loan deal ends, anyway) a bid from Sunderland will no doubt tempt the Swansea powers that be. Huw indicated Ki would still be a Swansea player next season when questioned at a fans' event a few months ago, and I'm clinging to that as I feel that, long term, the man signed from Celtic could replace Leon Britton. In the meantime though, I'm quite happy to see him swanning forward and scoring from all over the shop.

Another factor will be the growing affection flowing between player and fans in the North East. Last night he went a LONG way in securing his status as a "fans favourite" by scoring the winner against Chelsea in the League Cup quarter final, in the 118th minute no less (see the video below - great finish). This came after another ex-Swan - Fabio Borini - had levelled things up in the 88th minute after Lee Cattermole's OG had put Chelsea in front. 

Feats like these endear players to local fanbases, and if we're not careful Ki might decide he doesn't fancy sticking around in South Wales after all. If that does indeed end up being the case, we'll have lost a very, very good football player indeed. 

Should Chico return to the team in place of Amat?

Melodramatic centre-half may struggle to regain his first-team berth...

Following on from the 1-1 draw at Norwich this Sunday, there seems to have been an outpouring of praise for our other Spanish centre-half - Jordi Amat. I won't have been alone in reserving judgement on the man acquired from Espanyol this summer, but this was mainly based on his level of physicality, and when you consider how young he is (especially for a centre-half), there really is reason to be hopeful we've got a player who can go on to great things during his time here.

This begs the question; should Chico automatically regain his spot? He missed the Norwich game as he was banned for accumulation of bookings, and at least one of those bookings was acquired after throwing himself to the ground like a rag doll, feigning injury. Pretty pathetic, and what's more despite Laudrup coming out in the press to say Chico needed to cut that sort of thing out he's still carried on making the meal of anything that comes anywhere near his face. Man up, mate.

As I didn't see the game at Norwich, I can't comment on Amat's performance but he does seem a very tidy player with all the attributes he needs to be a big success. He did seem to stand off Johan Elmander in the build up to Gary Hooper's goal, but you can't predict a striker will produce a finish of that calibre, and if he retained his place in the first-team I think it would send out a twofold message - one, that fringe players can expect to retain their place if they perform well and two, that needless bookings and a lack of professionalism won't be tolerated.

Personally, I've got absolutely nothing against Amat lining up instead of Chico against Everton this weekend. Whether Laudrup feels he's up to it we can't say though.

Would you prefer to see Chico reinstated against Everton or should Amat get the nod? Get involved in the comment section below!

Nathan Dyer injury not as serious as first feared

Winger avoided breaking any bones, but has to have further scans to determine the extent of any ligament damage

Phew. Thankfully for Nathan Dyer (and Swansea fans), an x-ray taken after he injured his ankle against Norwich hasn't shown up any obvious indication of a fracture or a break. I'd say given how much swelling I'd imagine is currently present around the injury that he's not out of the woods yet, but the Swans official site have posted an article which states he's ruptured a lateral ligament - whatever that means. I'm no rocket scientist, but while that doesn't sound like a quick-healing injury it's surely preferable to any actual break or fracture of such an important joint.

It's a real, real shame for Dyer the injury came when it did. He'd just started to find some form, and against Newcastle and Norwich in particular he was looking back to his probing pacey best. Hopefully he'll make a full recovery, and we'll see him strutting his stuff at the Liberty before the end of the season.

Who should replace Dyer in the side? Would you prefer to see Routledge & Hernandez start every game or do you think Lamah or even Pozuelo should play in one of the "inside forward" positions? Get involved in the comment section below!

Napoli drawn against "the Naples of the UK" in the Europa League

Italian giants drawn to face the Swans in the first knockout round of the competition

For as long as I can remember, I've heard Swansea compared to Naples - largely (if not entirely) due to the shape of the bay. Thanks to the Europa League, Swansea fans now have an opportunity to see for themselves if indeed there is any similarity, or whether the comparison is a bit of a stretch. 

In the meantime, however, I've found a picture of Naples online for us to have a look at. Pretty eh? I can see where the comparisons come from, though I've no doubt the sea is a much more agreeable temperature in the Med as opposed to the Bristol Channel. 

As for the football itself, Napoli boss Rafa Benitez has already come out and said how he thinks Swansea are a gifted technical side, capable of causing his side problems:

"Over the past few years have made ​​great progress. They're a growing team that love to dribble and that plays good football.  

"Their manager Laudrup loves to retain possession, knows how to get the team motivated and they have quality individuals such as Michu who have great talent"

http://www.sscnapoli.it/static/news/Benitez-Swansea-avversario-forte-1582.aspx

Alan Curtis, for his part, has also been interviewed for his thoughts on the draw. Given he'll remember Maradona playing for the team from Naples, he's probably looking forward to this one more than some of the younger players at the club:

"I'm delighted with the draw to pitch ourselves against one of the great powerhouses of Europe. From a playing point of view it's a fantastic draw. To me they are always associated with Diego Maradona. You only have to watch highlights of [their] games to know it's going to be a hostile atmosphere. 

"Europe has been a great a experience but if we had travelled over to the Russia or Ukraine it would have been a dampener just with the sheer amount of travelling. Without a doubt we have got a chance of getting through." 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25391036

I'm really excited about this one - get through, and we'll be facing either Eintracht Frankfurt or Porto away from home. **** just got real. 

Norwich v Swansea - Match preview, team news, prior form, predicted lineups, statistics & analysis

The Match

Norwich are threatening to turn a corner, and have won three of their last five - including an impressive away win at WBA last time out. Chris Hughton hasn't been able to get Norwich ticking like Lambert did, but he'll no doubt be heartened by their record against the Swans in the Premiership. Yet to lose against the South Walians since both sides gained promotion three years ago, they'll be looking to continue that trend tomorrow lunchtime.

Swansea once again fell short away at St Gallen and while I didn't see the game, the general reaction would seem to indicate that the level of performance was far short of what we can legitimately expect from a Swansea side with mutli-million pound players in the lineup. With certain players seemingly rested despite the game containing a semblance of importance, I'm unsure whether rotation can be used as an excuse, as we've spend good money on players now and there's a sizeable squad of players to choose from. Hopefully we'll break our PL duck against the Canaries and secure a win, which would be just the third in the last twelve outings for Laudrup's men.

Prior Form (Most recent at top)

Team News

Norwich have their fair share of injury problems, with Anthony Pilkington (hamstring), Alex Tettey (high ankle), Elliot Bennett (knee) & Robert Snodgrass (knee) all out of contention, with Snodgrass the only player listed who has any chance of featuring before the New Year. It's better news for Mark Bunn and Ricky Van Wolfswinkel though, as they could feature after recovering from ankle and toe injuries respectively.

Swansea should have Michu back to more or less full fitness, but Bony is likely to be rested given his Europa exertions. Britton looks likely to remain sidelined with a reported broken toe, but Angel Rangel could return after recovering from a hamstring injury. Garry Monk will be out for a while after undergoing knee surgery, while Vorm also looks set to go under the knife for a similar complaint. With Alvaro Vazquez out with a groin injury, and Chico serving a one match suspension (those dives look a bit bloody stupid now don't they?), I'm wondering why we let Ki go out on loan, as another central midfielder would be pretty handy about now.

Completely guessed lineups

Statistics & Trivia

• There have been 20 goals scored in just four Barclays Premier League meetings between Norwich and Swansea.
• Swansea forward Michu scored three goals in two games against Norwich City last season.
• Robert Snodgrass scored in both Premier League games for Norwich against Swansea last season and also assisted two goals for the Canaries.
• Martin Olsson has cleared more shots off the line that any other player in the Premier League this season (3), while Norwich have made more clearances off the line than any other side (7).
• Norwich have allowed their opponents more shots on target against them than any other team in the Premier League this season (91).
• Gary Hooper has scored in each of Norwich's last two Premier League home games.
• Last weekend John Ruddy became only the fourth different goalkeeper to record 10+ saves in a Premier League game this season (plus Krul, Begovic & Marshall twice). 
• Norwich are looking to win three successive Premier League home games for the first time since five in a row last season, a run that ended on December 15 (exactly one year ago).
• Swansea have conceded in 14 of their last 20 away games, going on to win 3, draw 1 and lose 10 of these matches.
• Swansea have failed to score in 55% of their last 20 away games.
• Norwich have scored in 14 of their last 20 home games, going on to win 8, draw 3 and lose 3 of these matches.
• Geographically this is the widest east-west fixture ever to feature in the English top-flight. 

Straight from the horse's mouth

Michael Laudrup is looking forward to being able to focus exclusively on the Premier League - for a while at least:

"It will be the seventh game in 20 days with some players playing in four, five or six of those, but we have to get everything we can out of this game and then on Monday we can enjoy the Europa League draw and then park that competition until the end of February.

"After that we can think exclusively about the Premier League as from here to the next Europa League game there are 10 or 11 games in the league. It is always easier to focus on one competition, especially if you are not experienced in playing in Europe.

"This is the first time in the Europa League for us and we are only in mid-December but we've already had 10 games in this competition. That's a lot of games. Last year we thought we'd played a lot of games, but we've played more this year at a similar stage."

http://www.football365.com/swansea/9072891/-?

Chris Hughton was asked how he dealt with rotation for European football, during his time in charge of Birmingham:

“We felt it helped us. We rotated the squad for those games and certainly at home we had full houses and great atmospheres and it motivated us for the league form. It was definitely more of a help than a hindrance, but I can understand those who have the opposite view. It certainly stretches a squad and your resources. Where Swansea is fortunate is they do have a big and good squad. You would have to ask them how much it has been a hindrance.

“You can really take that any way you want. It could be a situation that actually galvanises the players. They’ve had a tough week and they are going to need to dig deep for another game but the fact they have qualified makes it a successful one. I will focus on our business. We are on the back of a good win, we are at home and this is an opportunity to put back-to-back wins together. We have to show a burning desire to want to get three points.”

http://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/fate_and_fatigue_are_not_part_of_the_equation_for_norwich_city_boss_chris_hughton_1_3111359

Analysis

Despite their good record against the Swans, I've got no ill-feeling toward Norwich and I view them as a club very much like ourselves - a bit out of the way and definitely in the "plucky upstart" category. I can also forgive their good record against us - I don't know what it is... I think I've got a bit of a soft spot for them. Having said that, I'd take Huw over Delia any day.

Moving swiftly on, it seems Michu is set to lead the line once again. He'll be up against (probably) Turner & Bassong, but I'm confident he'll be a bit too hot to handle for these too. If you can say one thing about Michu it's that he's unorthodox, and given how hot/cold the Swans have been of late it's difficult for Norwich to know what to expect - other than rotation and a 4-5-1 system.

Johan Elmander could partner Gary Hooper up front with Van Wolfwinkel facing a fitness test, and if I'm honest I didn't even know he'd signed for Norwich. Slipped right past me, that one. I rate the Swede, so Ash & Amat will need to communicate well and ensure they're not overrun by the two centre forwards at the head of Norwich's 4-4-2. They'll have good service, too, with Leroy Fer and Nathan Redmond both capable of causing problems for the Swans fullbacks, and defence in general. Whether Rangel is fit could be key - as will Ben Davies' performance. He's been caught out of position for a number of goals now, and while he's an outstanding, outstanding talent I do have to keep reminding myself how young he is, and how much he's going to learn over the next few years.

In midfield, as mentioned earlier, I'm really starting to miss Ki. Right now he's just what we need. Instead, he's plying his trade for a rival. Makes sense, that. With that in mind, and Britton injured, there isn't really any rotation available unless we abandon our 4-5-1 or play with a winger or Pozuelo at CAM (although that is where I prefer to see the Spaniard operating). It's likely to be Shelvey, De Guzman and Canas in the middle, and hopefully the Dutchman can match the efforts of his teammates. If he put in as much of a shift as Shelvey he'd be a much, much better player.

Am I confident? No. That's not going to stop me envisaging a win though, because that's what we need. Despite pressure surrounding Chris Hughton after a poor start to the season, they've pulled away from the relegation zone and can actually go above the Swans with a win tomorrow. You wouldn't have seen that coming a few weeks ago, but that's where we are and three points would be very, very handy right about now. Swansea to break their duck against Norwich, and win 2-1.

Is Wilfried Bony the biggest bargain in the PL so far this season?

In terms of strikers, anyway...

A little while ago I did an article looking at Bony's stats, and how they compared to other striker's in the Premier League (read it here: link), and after a bit more pondering - plus seeing a bit more of other team's star acquisitions, I'm starting to wonder whether he's proving to be the most effective big-money centre forward signing of the summer. Drawing on a transfers list I found on the official PL website (link), I thought it would be interesting to compare how the £12million recruit from Vitesse stands up when his goal return is put alongside other Premiership strikers acquired this past summer.

I could ramble on about it, or I could just stick a load of stats in a spreadsheet. The latter seemed likely to involve less thinking, so I did just that. All statistics are courtesy of www.whoscored.com.

Two things strike me straight off the bat when looking at those statistics. Firstly, you get what you pay for and secondly, you can spot a team's playing style fairly clearly. Long ball merchants - low pass completion. Short passes to feet, high pass completion. When looking through players for fantasy football (join The Swansea Way league here) I noticed Steven Fletcher had the lowest pass completion of any outfield player to have played a significant amount of games (fifty something percent), but I still think he's class, so whether you can read too much into a striker's pass completion I don't know. It could perhaps be seen as more of a reflection of a team's playing style than anything else, but I do think that if Bony, for example, was underperforming it'd show up more, and that his pass completion would be significantly lower.

I'll keep this short and sweet. It's no secret I'm a massive fan of Wilfried Bony, and it's now starting to look like this season could be more of a case of him bedding in and getting up to speed with the league and the level of fitness expected of a Premier League centre forward. In the meantime, his goal tally more than stands up against any of this summer's big money signings, and he's only recently got a decent run in the team in front of three proper central midfielders.

Whether he'll feature against Norwich is doubtful given his exertions in the Europa League, and with Michu rested it's likely the Spaniard will lead the line. Having two players capable of bagging themselves ten plus goals a season will always, always see you a long way to securing another season's Premier League football, and over the last few weeks I'm sure I've noticed a thawing of previously frosty opinions of the Ivorian on Twitter in particular.

With plenty of games left to play, who knows how many goals our two forwards will bag themselves. How many do you think Bony and Michu will score? Get involved in the comment section below or tweet  @TheSwanseaWay!

St Gallen 1 - 0 Swansea - More of the same

Swans slip up in Swiss fog

I've based this on the limited patches of the game I caught on the ITV website, plus comments and match reports from fans and pundits. For highlights, you can click the link below to watch them on the ITV website.

http://www.itv.com/sport/football/article/2013-12-12/europa-league-report-and-highlights-st-gallen-1-0-swansea-city-swans-qualify-for-last-32-despite-defeat/?

For the first time in what seems like a very long time, I wasn't able to watch the entire Swans match due to my working hours. Stupid Europa League kickoff times. Apparently though, I didn't miss much - media reports gave us credit for being the better team in the first half, but the overall reaction seems to be very negative, with fans seemingly unhappy with the level of performance.

Gerhard Tremmel is reported to have enjoyed a fine evening, and there was nothing he could do about the goal, or the disallowed one which preceded it. The one that wasn't ruled out was worrying in that there were two St Gallen players unmarked waiting to tap the cross into the net, and as for the disallowed one...I thought the decision was very soft. It seemed Taylor played the ball into the net long enough before the attacker came in that the goal could well have stood, but that's not a point I've got any interest arguing if I'm honest.

Why aren't we performing to the best of our abilities on a regular basis? I've (as any readers of the blog can attest to) debated that on many on occasion, but I still feel the problem lies in our inability to maintain possession in the centre of the park, and (crucially) that possession actually being used to create through the middle - as opposed to passing the buck and playing it once again out to the full-back. Against Newcastle, our central midfielders enjoyed a higher pass-count than either of the full-backs and, surprise surprise, we won 3-0. On many other occasions this season, however, our full-backs have seen more of the ball than anyone else, and therein lies the problem. Controlling possession means nothing if you don't also control the game.

I've just remembered I couldn't find a stream for the Birmingham game away in the League Cup - so it hasn't actually been that long since I wasn't able to watch a match. That aside, we'll all obviously be hoping for a better result against Norwich this coming Sunday. A loss there won't be tempered by advancement in the league like tonight's result, and Norwich - despite the differing media perceptions surrounding their level of success so far this season compared to ours - can go above us if they win. For the morale of the team as well as the fans, an upturn in form is needed at the moment. 

Onwards and upwards, I suppose.

St Gallen v Swansea - Match preview, team news, statistics & analysis

The Match

St Gallen have had some up and down results of late, but come into the game still capable of affecting the final standings in Group A. Valencia are already through, but a St Gallen win coupled with Kuban Krasnodar beating Valencia by three goals at the Mastella would see the Russian outfit go through at the expense of the Swans. Domestically the Swiss side are up to fourth in the table and seem to be in better form than when they travelled to SA1 for the counterpart fixture, though whether they can reproduce the commitment and tenacity they displayed at the Liberty remains to be seen. It's a long old season.

Swansea have been flattering to deceive for a while now and a flat display against Hull won't have filled fans with confidence before the trip to Switzerland. That was preceded by an encouraging win over Newcastle, but unless there are other good results off the back of that it risks becoming a blip in an otherwise poor run of form. With Michu & Bony both seemingly coming back to fitness, hopefully it won't be long before the goals (and the wins) start to flow again.

Prior Form (Most recent at top)

Team News

For St Gallen, strikers Daniel Sikorski and Dzengis Cavusevic remain long-term injury absentees with knee injuries. Mario Mutsch must serve a one-match suspension.

Swansea welcomed Michu back to the starting lineup against Hull, but he was obviously way short on match fitness and it's massively unlikely he'll play any part in Switzerland. Wilfried Bony has been declared fit which seems a stretch of the word "fit" to me - but then again I thought the same about Michu on Monday and Laudrup kept him on for 90 minutes. Michel Vorm seems set to travel despite the club confirming he's likely to need knee surgery, while Rangel will travel despite being unlikely to start after suffering a calf injury a few weeks ago. Leon Britton (broken toe) & Garry Monk (knee) haven't travelled as they continue their recuperation.

Completely guessed lineups

Statistics & Trivia

• St Gallen have won only one of their group matches in the Europa League - the first game at home to Kuban Krasnodar.
• Wilfried Bony has previously finished the Europa League's top scorer, and with 5 goals is three off the top of the scoring chart.
• Jose Canas has completed 308 of 322 passes in the Europa League so far, giving him a 92.8% pass completion rate - better than Leon Britton's 91.3%.
• Swansea's pass completion rate is 87%, compared to St Gallen's 76%.
• Swansea have 13 shots per game and concede 12 - St Gallen average 9 shots per game, but allow their opponents a whopping 19. 

Straight from the horse's mouth

Gerhard Tremmel has pointed out the Swans fate is still very much in their hands:

"Qualification is in our hands and that's very important. Of course, it also depends on how Kuban do in Valencia but we will only be concentrating on our match.

"We want to qualify for the next round by getting a good result in St Gallen. Of course, it won't be easy, as proved when we played them at the Liberty but the whole squad is determined to go to Switzerland and get the result we need to get through."

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/122727/sankt-gallen-vs-swansea-city/preview?ICID=OP

Ben Davies has stated the focus is very much on St Gallen, despite the need for an upturn in domestic form:

"We are going to go into it ready for anything they throw at us. We've got to go out there and put a good performance in. I'm sure if we do that we'll be able to come away with the result. 

"They put a good performance in [at the Liberty] and they were a very well organised side and made it difficult for us. I don't think they've got anything to play for now which may dampen their spirits a bit, but we can't afford to look at it that way."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25335852?

Analysis

As I type I've just read that due to severe fog the Swans departure for Switzerland was delayed. Hardly ideal preparation for a game we ideally need to be winning to secure our passage into the next phase of the competition.

As with the counterpart fixture a while back, I have very limited knowledge of the opposition, but at least I've seen them play now and I was quite impressed with their performance when they came to SA1. I thought we were extremely lucky to win the game, and they displayed a vigour and commitment we've rarely seen from our own side so far this season.

The stat about "shots conceded" could be telling. Conceding 19 shots per game seems a bit sloppy, and the Swans must surely capitalise on that. A loss and a three goal win for Kuban in Valencia (unlikely as it may be) would still put us out and if we're serious about enjoying a run in the competition we should be beating sides like St Gallen.

Overall, the Swans level of performance has improved of late, even if (in my opinion) we're still far short of the level we should expect to be operating at. The return to fitness of Bony and Michu will really help, though I have my reservations about the recovery time they've been allowed. I really, really hope they haven't been rushed back, as we can't afford for either of them to be out for any length of time.

With some enforced changes adding to the rotation element of team selection, it's difficult to say who will line up, but they'll need to play with the bit between their teeth if we're to overcome what's surely to be a combative St Gallen side. We need a draw to guarantee safe passage, but we should be winning this.

As long as we put in a shift, we'll win this. I'm confident of a win, but I think it'll be a tight game. 1-0 Swansea.

Swansea 1 - 1 Hull - Highlights

Relive the "action" from last night...

Swansea 1 - 1 Hull - Must do better...

Improved second half performance couldn't mask another flat display

There was a time when Swansea's midfield were famed for passing the ball. It seems to me that of late we're seeing more passing of the buck. The first half display against Hull made me wonder whether I've ever seen a team so comfortable in possession, yet who look entirely unlikely to create...well...anything. According to the stats displayed on screens at the Liberty, at half time we'd had four shots (none on target) to Hull's one (on target and, crucially, also a goal).

The passing of the buck I refer to is in the centre of the midfield, where we seem to have forgotten how to move forward down the pitch. Gone are the days when our two more defensive minded central midfielders would form a coherent partnership, playing themselves into (and successfully out of) trouble as we tika-taka'd our way up the field. Instead, we have to watch as the ball goes across the back four... forward once... before going straight back to the centre-back for the whole process to start over. We're becoming far too predictable and, understandably, if you can stop us getting at you through the middle it severely restricts our attacking options - especially when you consider our wingers now seem to spend most of their time tucking inside and occupying positions you'd traditionally expect your attacking midfielder to be taking up.

To criticise too heavily would be unfair on Hull though. Steve Bruce set his side up in a 3-5-2 which completely nullified the Swans for more or less the entire match. The wing backs marked our wingers, and for the entirety of the ninety minutes I thought we lacked invention, spark, and anything else which normally leads to goal-scoring chances.

The opener came from who else but Danny Graham. After not having scored for around thirty games (I've seen a couple of different stats and they can't all be right), it was always likely he'd break his duck against his former employers and so it proved to be. Ash played a weak pass towards Pablo which was intercepted by Elmohamady, and he advanced before picking out Graham at the back post. Chico couldn't get anywhere near him, and the striker dispatched the ball into the net. 1-0, and we didn't look like we were going to be capable of turning things around any time soon.

Ben Davies produced one effort of note after linking up through the middle, and the only other chance I remember in the first half was when De Guzman leant back and put one into orbit after it had been pulled back to the edge of the box. Jonjo Shelvey scored from there, don't you know...

The second half started with no changes having been made. Most perplexing seeing as a) Michu was clearly unfit and b) De Guzman was having a mare. The latter was thankfully replaced ten minutes into the second half for Pozuelo, and four minutes later we had our goal. The Swans won one of twelve corners they'd have by the end of the match, and a short routine was worked which saw Shelvey drill a low cross into the box. Chico was very much in the right place at the right time, and it hit him in the midriff and deflected into the net. 1-1, and half an hour to play. Surely we'd rally and hammer home our home advantage?

Nope. The best effort I remember anyone producing after that was Yannick Sagbo, who drilled a shot low at Tremmel's right hand post, but the German was equal to it and parried it away. Aside from that, the only other talking points were a shoving match in the corner of East and South stands and Chico producing more of his ridiculous theatrics. I've never seen a centre-back go down as much as he does, and frankly it's embarrassing. Man up mate.

Overall I think 1-1 was a fair result but despite us having 66% of the ball I thought you'd have a tough time arguing we were the better team. Something needs to change in terms of the tactics we're currently operating with, because more often than not it's simply not working. I do believe we have the players to successfully utilise the system Laudrup wants to use, but at the moment there's definitely some tinkering needed.

On to Switzerland then. Apparently it could be -4 degrees when we step onto the field - play like we did tonight and whoever plays up front stands more chance of getting frostbite than a goal.

Hull's off-field troubles should remind Swansea fans how lucky we are

Hull City's owner Assem Allam wants to change the name from "City" to "Tigers", but it could have been so much worse for Swansea fans

Once upon a time, there was a big bad Australian Cockney with a ridiculous moustache, who wanted to rip the heart out of Swansea City AFC. His excuse at the time was fiscal austerity, but he hadn't planned on the vociferous response his actions received from the Swansea support.

The North Bank at the old Vetch Field became a unified protest group, aiming endless chants towards the directors box after Petty sacked seven players (asking a further eight to accept reduced contracts), and that was just the start. Marches and protests outside the ground let the new chairman know that we simply weren't going to accept that kind of thing from someone who was supposed to have the club's best interests at heart, and that he'd massively misjudged the situation if he thought the fanbase would just roll over and accept whatever decisions he deemed fit to make.

Thankfully, the rest is history. A consortium of Swansea fans, plus the newly formed Supporters Trust, wrestled control of the club and we haven't looked back since. There's been a litany of successes since - the appointments of Flynn, Jackett, Martinez, Sousa, Rodgers & Laudrup have all brought varying degrees of success (but success nonetheless), as well as the continued recruitment of a higher calibre of player. The Swans have coloured in the picture of a well-run Premiership club without, seemingly, going outside the lines once.

That's why it rankles so much to see owners at other clubs operating in a manner which seemingly disregards the wishes of the fans. I doubt Assem Allem cares what the sizeable proportion of Hull fans who disagree with the potential name change think, much like I doubt Vincent Tan cares what colour fans prefer their team to play in, but the line has to be drawn somewhere or football stands at risk of becoming like the NFL, where clubs - or "brands" as I should probably refer to them given the context - are exportable commodities, with no real thought given to the history or tradition surrounding them.

Thankfully (for the Swans at least) we can rest easy knowing that those in charge always have the best interests of the club at heart. Hull's recent travails serve to remind us that getting to the Premier League isn't the be all and end all, and that not everyone gets so lucky. Hopefully their fans can exert some influence over proceedings (though I won't say that about tonight's game itself) and, if the majority view is that the name should remain "Hull City", then that's how it should stay.

There's a campaign being run by Hull fans called "City Till We Die" (link), which protests against Assem Allem's plans to change their name to Hull Tigers. They also plan on singing "City Till We Die" 19mins 04secs into tonight's match (Hull City were formed in 1904), and they (and I) heartily encourage all Swansea fans to join in. Solidarity, brothers & sisters!

Swansea vs Hull - Match preview, team news, statistics & analysis

The Match

Swansea returned to winning ways against Newcastle and played with a confidence they've been threatening to display for a couple of weeks now. Especially in the first half, there was a zip to the centre of the midfield which has been lacking in recent times, and this reflected in the post-game statistics - De Guzman, for example, completed 111 passes at 94.6% accuracy. Outstanding. I'd wager if one of your central midfielders completes that many passes (and makes 8 recoveries to boot) you're never likely to lose the game. While Monday's opponents Hull won't have the same confidence Newcastle arrived with, they'll still play with the commitment and tenacity you can expect from any Steve Bruce side, so if we're to be confident of a result we'll need to replicate the level of performance achieved on Wednesday night.

Hull have impressed me this season, though their form in the last few months has dropped off. After going unbeaten in September, they then didn't win in October, and that's been followed by two wins in their last five - home wins over Sunderland and, more impressively, Liverpool. Liverpool were awful though...

Hull may well call on Danny Graham to lead the line despite his barren run now extending to thirty games across three clubs. Worryingly, the stage seems set for him to break his goal drought at the club where he was once a cult figure, thanks (in part) to scoring winners against Liverpool and Arsenal. Let's hope he doesn't break his duck just yet.

Prior Form (Most recent at top)

Team News - provided by Physioroom.com's Ben Dinnery

Mixed news for Swans supporters in the build-up to Monday nights’ live SkySports game versus Hull City at the Liberty Stadium. Firstly reports suggest that strikers Michu and Wilfried Bony have recovered from their respective ankle and hamstring injuries, with both players training ahead of the televised game; although neither player is expected to play the full 90 minutes in the first of three important matches this week. In the treatment room, Laudrup confirmed that midfielder Leon Britton suffered a broken toe in training which is likely to rule the player out for at least a couple of weeks, while scan results revealed a minor groin strain keeping Alvaro Vazquez out of the festive program.

Steve Bruce is hoping to have the majority of his Hull City squad available for the encounter against Swansea City tomorrow night. Full-back Paul McShane will have a late fitness test on a hamstring problem but is likely to feature with defender James Chester (hamstring) and Robbie Brady (Gilmores Groin) having recovered from recent injuries. Centre-half Curtis Davies will return after missing the Arsenal game through suspension, which leaves long-term absentees Aluko (calf) and Stephen Quinn (hamstring) as the only definite players missing. 

Completely guessed lineups

Statistics & Trivia

• Hull have won three and lost none of the last four league meetings with Swansea.
• No team has benefitted from more own goals than Swansea this season (4) while two of their last five goals have come via the opposition.
• Hull have won just one of their last 31 Premier League away games (W1 D7 L23).
• The Tigers have lost five of their last seven Premier League games overall (W2).
• No player has hit the woodwork more than Jake Livermore this season (three times, level with Liverpool pair Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge).
• The Swans have picked up more yellow cards for dissent (7) than any other team this season.
• Swansea average 59.2 per cent possession this season - higher than any other club - while only three teams have a lower figure than Hull (43.3 per cent).
• In his first 18 Premier League games Michu scored 13 goals, but has managed only seven in the subsequent 27 matches.

Straight from the horse's mouth

Steve Bruce had some kind words to say when asked what he thought about his upcoming opponents: 

"Swansea have been a really leading club, similar in stature to our club in the way they have done it over the years. I watched a documentary on them a couple of weeks ago and where they have come from since 10 or 12 years ago is quite remarkable.

"What they've done and what they've achieved deserves a big pat on the back to all of those who had the foresight and the vision to see it through.

"That has got to be the way forward for us. Look at Wigan - who were there for eight years before they slipped out - West Brom, Southampton and Swansea, these are all clubs you can look at."

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9061710/?

Jonjo Shelvey has been in the press talking about how we need to turn the Liberty back into a fortress:

"We needed the three points against Newcastle, and we need to keep pushing up the league. The more we turn this place into a fortress and get the points then it takes the pressure away when we go away to the bigger teams.

"It's never been difficult for me to play here. The fans have been first class for me. Every time I've played they have been superb and hopefully we can kick on at home starting on Monday."

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/article/165/9060215/-?

Analysis

You have to feel for Hull a bit. Not so much for anything that's occurred on the field - more for what's been going on off it. Owner Assem Allam wants to rebrand the club as "Hull Tigers" and is now embroiled in a dispute with a vocal section of the Hull support over the controversial issue. Personally, I think something has to be done before football goes the way of the NFL, where clubs seem free to move from one city or another at the behest of financially driven owners. It's not on, and the Swans have shown that if you dig your heels in fan power can overcome this kind of thing.

Fingers crossed, the current rift between owner and fans doesn't affect the performance of Steve Bruce's team too much, although if it were to knock their confidence against the Swans - well... three points is three points, right?

Midfield will, as usual, be key for the Swans - and not just because we stand a good chance of lining up with six midfielders. Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone most definitely have the muscle to cause the Swansea engine room problems, but then again the same can be said about Tiote & Cabaye, and they didn't have a particularly good time of it when they visited on Wednesday. We'll need to make sure the level of commitment is the same, and that everybody is willing to come off the field spent, having given 100% to the cause over the entirety of the ninety minutes.

Livermore and Huddlestone are both capable of playing football as well as mixing it physically, but if we play to our limits in a footballing sense, we'll surely have too much for them. As mentioned, De Guzman made 111 passes against Newcastle - a repeat of that and we'll stand a good chance of claiming all three points.

Up front for the Tigers it's likely to be Graham & Sagbo against Chico & Ash. For Ash (and Chico to a lesser extent) they'll know what to expect from Graham, although he's currently bereft of the confidence which saw him endear himself to Swansea fans. It seems very likely (to me at least) that he'll break his duck against the Swans, but that's probably just superstitious claptrap. At least, I've never seen any statistics which makes me think former players are more likely to score against prior clubs. That doesn't mean there's none out there, mind...

I think, realistically, this is going to have to be a case of "more of the same" if the Swans want the three points. Despite many differences between Bruce's Hull and Pardew's Newcastle, they're both combative teams who put themselves about, who're capable of playing football if you allow them to. We need to make sure we starve them of the ball, and get into our swing early on. An early goal will be key in settling Swans' nerves - hopefully it'll come in the first half as that'll allow us to use possession to tire Hull, drawing them onto us and creating space in behind their defence.

It remains to be seen who starts up front. I've heard rumours that both Wilfried Bony & Michu will be fit enough for the bench but in my opinion if there's any risk of aggravating the injury they should remain sidelined. There's simply no point taking that kind of risk when it could mean we'll be without one of our main goal threats for a much longer period of time. With that in mind it seems likely that, in one of a couple of possible variations, Jonjo Shelvey will be charged with getting in behind the Hull defence. Pozuelo was rotating with him against Newcastle after Alvaro went off injured, but the Spaniard lacks the out and out pace to break the line it seems, whereas Shelvey seems to have the top end to make bursts such as the one which got Swansea their 2nd goal last Wednesday.

However we line up, I'm once again confident of a Swansea home win. A while ago now I said we'd win our next four games - starting with Newcastle. One down, three to go.

Who should start up front against Hull?

With options limited at centre-forward, who should lead the line on Monday night?

When Michu was first ruled out through injury, I'd be lying if I said there wasn't, for me, a bittersweet aspect to the injury as it gave Wilfried Bony a guaranteed starting berth - which I thought he'd use to kick on and endear himself to Swansea fans. 

Sadly for Bony, he himself picked up an injury against Valencia - although fears that he'd torn his hamstring proved unfounded. While it's only a minor strain, it's still ruled him out for a couple of weeks - which gave Alvaro a chance to cement a more regular starting berth. After enjoying a fairly anonymous time of it against Man City, the Spaniard seemed to have the bit between his teeth against Newcastle before he himself succumbed to injury - a groin strain which looks set to keep him on the sidelines for a few weeks at least. 

This leaves us with Rory Donnelly the only recognised striker anywhere near the first team - though it seems highly unlikely he'll be selected to play up front against Hull, given that Laudrup has (so far this season) preferred him to ply his trade for the development side. 

So, who will/should play up front against Hull? There are a few candidates - Jonjo Shelvey, Roland Lamah, Alex Pozuelo... all operated in a kind of "rotating false nine" system against Newcastle, and if we're being honest it worked quite well - Newcastle struggled to pick up our runners from midfield and with the variety of passing, plus the pace of players like Nathan Dyer and Pablo Hernandez, most teams would surely struggle to deal with this approach.

After Bony tweaked his hamstring I made a tongue-in-cheek comment about whether Jonjo could operate in the "false nine" position, and I'm rapidly warming to the idea. He's clearly got an eye for goal and is rapidly winning over any doubters, and if he keeps going the way he is there's no reason why he can't turn into a player like Lampard or Gerrard - an attack minded midfielder who you can bank on to collect around ten goals a term.

I made a comment at half time against Newcastle regarding Shelvey (and numerous other players I've seen down the years), based around how when he's got too much time generally he panics and the result isn't that great. When given the ball under pressure however, he normally produces results. Evidence of this can be found both in his goal at Fulham - where he had to jink his way through before digging out a finish - and his goal against Newcastle. Earlier, he'd gone clean through but didn't manage to produce a finish, whereas when he was given the ball in a position where the first time shot made sense he found the back of the net. 

I feel lots of players perform better when under pressure, and that sometimes given too much time to think they end up fluffing their lines, and Jonjo could be the perfect example of that. He's still so young that his composure and decision making should improve dramatically in the next few years, but in terms of raw talent no-one can deny he has all the attributes to make an attacking midfield position his own. It could simply be a case of forcing him to occupy more advanced positions, and the goals will start to flow.

So, Jonjo Shelvey at false nine? It's got my vote. Much like Michu (who prefers a deeper role), I feel he could excel if made to play in a more advanced position. If he does indeed line up in the most advanced of the Swans' midfield positions, Steve Bruce won't know what hit him.