The Match
Swansea now have to focus on the league after going out of the Europa League in the cruelest of fashions. While going out to Napoli could be considered harsh given the Swans' performance over the two legs, we had enough chances to win the game and we could have been a couple of goals ahead in both the first and second legs. It must have been a great experience for the players, but the key now is taking anything learned from our foray into Europe and applying it to our league games - starting with Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace have been absolutely on fire since Pulis took charge, and this Palace side is vastly, vastly improved from the one we beat at Selhurst earlier in the season. A win against the Swans would see Palace leapfrog the Swans into 12th place, and they've actually got a game in hand on us so this really is a six pointer. Palace have got a run of games coming up where they can look to secure the points they need to avoid relegation, and they'll be looking to get back to winning ways (after going down 2-0 at home to United last time out) against a Swansea team they'll expect to be able to bully. Whether they achieve this depends on how quickly Monk's men have recovered from their jaunt to Italy, but with several Swansea players rested they could well be in for a tough time of it.
Team News
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Swansea take on Crystal Palace at the Liberty this weekend hoping to secure three points and put a
little daylight between themselves and the chasing relegation threatened sides. After a disappointing
result in Naples Garry Monk can at least take solace from another decent performance as the Jacks
try to make it three home wins on the spin. Leon Britton missed the Europa loss due to a minor knee
problem but the midfielder is expected to return, while team-mate Nathan Dyer (heel) should also
be fine. Concerns mount regarding the availability of Jonjo Shelvey who continues to struggle with
an ongoing hamstring issue, the player scored against his former club last weekend before being
replaced at half-time. Alejandro Pozuelo made his comeback on Thursday in a ten minute cameo; he
will be assessed for any reaction while Spanish international Michu is once again likely to miss out.
No such problems for Crystal Palace who travel to South Wales with a fully fit squad. Striker Glenn
Murray (ACL) is challenging Chamakh for a regular place up-front after his first start in over nine
months last weekend while Jerome Thomas should recover in-time after recent calf and back
injuries.
Completely guessed lineups
Statistics & Trivia
- Swansea have scored the highest proportion of second half goals of any team in the Barclays Premier League this season (75%).
- Crystal Palace have recovered just one point from losing positions in the Barclays Premier League this term, fewer than any other team.
- Swansea City have won the last four games against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- The south Londoners have failed to score in each of their last five competitive matches against the Swans.
- Crystal Palace have the worst shot conversion rate in the top flight this season scoring with just 7.9% of their shots.
- Palace have conceded just nine goals in their last nine Premier League games and just one of those came in the first half of a match.
- Wilfried Bony has scored six goals in his last eight Premier League appearances.
- Crystal Palace have conceded the joint-most penalties in the Premier League this season (six, along with Everton).
- Swansea have benefited from a league-high six own goals this season, accounting for one in six of their total goals scored (17%).
- 22% of Crystal Palace's goals have been scored in the opening 15 minutes of matches, a league high proportion.
- Swansea have kept a clean sheet in their last 5 matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- Swansea have been winning at both half time and full time in their last 4 matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- There have been under 2.5 goals scored in 8 of Crystal Palace's last 9 games in the Premier League.
- Swansea have won their last 4 matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- Crystal Palace have failed to score in their last 3 away matches in the Premier League.
- Swansea have scored at least 2 goals in their last 3 matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
Straight from the horse's mouth
Tom Ince clearly can't list confidence amongst his failings:
"Swansea play nice football and did ever so well against Napoli - but will they be able to handle the threat we give them with Glenn Murray, Marouane Chamakh, Cameron Jerome, Yannick Bolasie, Jason Puncheon and myself? They will want to play their fluid type of football and be expansive - but look at the amount of times we counter-attacked West Brom.
"It`s different when you play Manchester United because they keep the ball so well. Swansea play similar but are probably not as effective - they haven`t got the Wayne Rooneys and Robin van Persies who, when you do give them the space, will kill you off. We have to nullify what Swansea do and then play our own game. I`m sure Swansea won`t be able to handle what we do.
http://www.swansea.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=350870#ixzz2uLIZIaY3
Ben Davies has clearly seen those Tom Ince comments…:
“We will just let our football do the talking on the pitch. If we win the game we won’t be having to make any comments afterwards. We’ll just be able to look at the league table.”
Analysis
The first in Swansea's run of three "winnable" home games, and this one has had a bit of spice added to it by Tom Ince proclaiming that he feels Swansea "can't handle what they do". Personally, I think if we play to anywhere near the levee we have done for the majority of Monk's reign, we'll be absolutely fine.
I'm a big fan of Jedinak in the Palace midfield, but he surely can't stand up to a Swansea midfield on top form? Joe Ledley has shown a couple of times that he struggles to keep up with a tika-taka approach from the opposition, and I also wouldn't bet against him picking up a booking early on. History, and all that.
Swansea will have to watch for Palace's big men up front. While Pulis' critics lambast his style of play, I do feel the style his current Palace team play is a lot different to the Stoke team he moulded so resolutely for so many years. Ok, they do go long but there is more of an emphasis on passing the ball, and I think that could well be their downfall. If they try and play us at our own game, I'm convinced we'll have too much for them, and if Bony is anywhere near 100% (which would be remarkable given the games he's played of late) I fancy him to give Palace's centre-backs a lot of problems.
Out wide, of course, they're liable to have Tom Ince & Jason Puncheon - two players who do need to be watched. Both are capable of breaking from midfield into space if given the opportunity, so the Swans' fullbacks will have to be on their game. Given Ince's comments it seems sod's law that he'll score, but I fancy us to score a couple.
I've stopped doing predictions really, but this has to be a home win. With Norwich and West Brom visiting the Liberty in the near future, we've got an excellent opportunity to cement our Premier League status for another year and what's more, in beating Palace we'll make it three wins out of our last three home league games. A welcome return to some good home form, and hopefully we can build on that.
The Eagles versus the Swans then! I guess if you were to make an ornathalogical analogy, you'd say that eagles are stronger and nastier, but swans generally seem to fly in flocks. Teamwork for the win.