Sunday, 25 August 2013

Spurs v Swansea - Live Blog

Welcome to live coverage of today's match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Keep refreshing the page to stay up to date with the action.



17:51

It's all over. 1-0 Spurs, and it could have been a lot more if we're being honest. Swansea had a few chances, but the performance had a distinct lack of Leon Britton about it for me.

17:50
Swansea have possession in the right area of the field...oh wait, no we don't Given away, then reclaimed, but the referee again deems the challenge unfair. Has anyone told this lad it's a contact sport?

17:48
Paulinho breaks free and gets into a great position, but Vorm parries his initial effort and his followup was wayward.

17:47
We're into four minutes of injury time at White Hart Lane...

17:45
Defoe looks to skip past Chico and is brought down. Spurs play the free-kick short...

17:44
The ball goes wide to Ben Davies, but he skews his cross over the goalkeeper's bar and out for a goal kick. Spurs bring on Sandro for Andros Townsend. Sandro has shaved all his hair off, and now looks even more like a defensive midfielder should.

17:43
The game is petering out somewhat, with the Swans struggling to build any kind of substantial attack.

17:41
Bony is so strong. He hasn't lost the ball since coming on, and defenders are bouncing off him left, right and centre.

17:39
More good work from Canas seems him look to burst forward from midfield, but he's checked by Capoue. Free kick is taken quickly, and the Swans are knocking the ball around well...

17:38
Around ten minutes left for Swansea to salvage something here...

17:37
The free kick is swung in towards Bony, but it's behind for a goal kick.

17:36

The Swans break down the left, but Kyle Walker is penalised for a block on Pablo Hernandez when the winger was trying to go past his man. Spurs use this break in play to bring Jermain Defoe on for Roberto Soldado.

17:35
Dawson meets the corner, but it's blocked out by the collective efforts of the Swans defence. Cleared upfield...

17:34
Kyle Walker bombs around the outside of everyone, but his cutback is blocked out by Pablo Hernandez who'd tracked him back dutifully. The corner is swung in but it's back out for another...

17:33
The resulting free-kick is played to Bony at the back post, who shows heart in trying to get to his own deflected second-ball, but he's penalised for being over-zealous. Things are starting to heat up a bit here...

17:32
Pozuelo looks a player eh? He breaks forward and produces a lovely turn to get away from Roberto Soldado tracking back, but the striker is penalised for late challenge on the Spaniard.

17:31
Pablo danced past two challenges into the box, but his second touch was heavy, allowing the defender to boot the ball upfield. His clearance smacks into the advancing Spaniard though, and almost loops over the Spurs keeper into the net, but he's able to get to the deflected clearance and save any defensive blushes.

17:30
The free-kick is crossed in from the right, but it's headed away. Respite.

17:28
Close! Chico arrives at the back post to meet a free-kick won by Wilfried Bony, and flashes a stunning volley straight at Hugo Lloris. The keeper did very well to parry it away for corner. Nothing comes of the corner kick though, and Spurs go down the other end through Roberto Soldado, who eventually draws a foul from Ashley Williams, who gets a yellow card for his troubles.

17:27
The Ivorian is involved straight away, jumping to challenge Hugo Lloris, and his presence is clearly felt as the keeper spilled the ball, but he managed to gather it in at the second attempt.

17:26
Wilfried Bony on for Jonjo Shelvey.

17:25
Some good linkup play between Pablo and Shelvey saw the Spaniard work some space, but his placed shod didn't curl back in enough and drifts wide of Lloris' left-hand post.

17:23
Ashley Williams penalised for a foul, and he does not look happy about it.

17:22
Swansea seemed to momentarily wake up after Pozuelo's introduction, but it's back to more of the same now.

17:19
And then they equalised. That'll learn me!

17:18
Something which will soften the blow is Cardiff just went 1-0 down at home thanks to a blinding Edin Dzeko strike.

17:16
Pozuelo comes on for Routledge.

17:15
GOAL Spurs 1 - 0 Swansea (Soldado pen)
Soldado sends Vorm the wrong way and places his penalty into the right hand corner.

17:13
Penalty Spurs. They were finding space ridiculously easily, and Andros Townsend bursts past Shelvey in the area. He's penalised despite trying to get out of the way, and Spurs have an opportunity to take the lead. Looked like a dive, mind.

17:11
Swansea waste their best opportunity so far. Pablo plays Michu in and he's one on one with the last defender, who manages to hold him up and force him away from goal, but he plays it to De Guzman in space of the edge of the area. To say he was ponderous would be kind, and he's mugged before he managed to do anything. Bony's warming up though...

17:10
Close! Andros Townsend makes the best of some broken play outside the Swansea box and produces a smashed effort which goes just over Vorm's crossbar.

17:08
Another Spurs corner. It's again cleared away, but there's only so many times you can give the opposition a free cross into the box before you're punished.

17:05
Dembele manages to produce an effort which is blocked, and despite numerous Swansea players best effors it's out for another corner. This one is more dangerous, and Vorm has to punch it away under pressure.

17:03
Spurs have had 30 shots so far this season, but have only scored once. You get the feeling there's goals in them though. They force a corner early on but it's cleared away.

17:02
We're back underway. No changes for either team.

17:01
I've been much more impressed with Canas than against United. I thought he played well against the Champions, but that he wandered a little which meant we didn't have too much shape, but today he's held his position much better. Our midfield has, otherwise, been overrun though.

16:58
Teams coming back out for the second half...stay tuned.

16:52
I had worried prior to the game that without Leon (or Ki, who does the job just as well in my opinion) we'd struggle to retain the ball, and so it's proved to be. Leon on at half time please...

16:48
Some stats for you. Spurs have had 6 shots on, and 6 shots off target, while the Swans have had 3 and 1 respectively.

16:46
Nothing comes of it though, and the Swans get in at half time level. Somehow.

16:44
Ooof. That could or should have been a penalty to Spurs, as Shelvey barges into Andros Townsend when trying to help Ben Davies out. Instead it's a freekick out wide...

16:43
Chicoooooooo. He lets fly from 40 yards but it's straight down Lloris' throat.

16:39
Michu is (harshly) booked, and from the resulting free-kick the Swans get a free-kick, as Dawson is penalised for jumping unfairly. Cue derisory cheers in the referee's direction from the Swans fans.

16:38
De Guzman manages to lead a rare Swansea foray into opposition territory, but his shot is deflected wide. We don't get a corner though, because the referee clearly wasn't watching.

16:37
Unless something changes Spurs will score soon. Paulinho pokes an effort wide when he should really have done better.

16:34
GREAT SAVE! Vorm again. Good play from Walker sees him produce a cutback, which takes an age to arrive at Dembele's feet, and he tried to curl his effort into the top corner. Vorm was equal to it though, and produced an outstanding reflex save. That's why he's no1.

16:31
Andros Townsend curls in the resulting free-kick, but it takes a touch off a Spurs head before going out for a goal kick. Spurs come straight back though and Paulinho drills wide. Another goal kick, then...

16:30
The referee is looking weak so far. He gave a really soft freekick in our favour a few minutes ago , and Shelvey just got a yellow card when he appeared to get to the ball first. Man up, ref!

16:26
Nothing comes of it thought. The game's developing into a great contest at the moment. Poor on quality in the final third so far, but great entertainment.

16:25
Shelvey manages to evade some tackles and get a shot off low down to Lloris' right, but it's pushed away for a corner. Best Swansea effort so far.

16:24
Spurs free kick 40 yards out. Hit by Vertonghen, but it's into the first man and wasted. Swansea clear.

16:22
GREAT SAVE! Vorm manages to hold Paulinho's effort after Ashley Williams had managed to deflect a cross onto his own post.

16:21
It really is a slog in the middle of midfield at the moment. Both sets of players are struggling to create anything meaningful through the middle.

16:20
Routledge flagged offside when there was no reason to be. Shelvey had looked to put one over the top for him.

16:18
Good work from Hernandez and Rangel sees the Swans gain a corner...

16:17
...but it's way over.

16:16
Sloppy play from Rangel sees Ben Davies having to reach for the ball, and his tackle on Androw Townsend is marginally late. Spurs freekick almost in the centre of the pitch, 20 yards out...

16:12
Canas looks like he has a much better understanding of his role in the team today. Capoue has just been penalised for holding back De Guzman in midfield.

16:09
CLOSE! Hernandez almost broke through, but it was half-cleared to Routledge, whose snapshot was saved by Hugo Lloris, but only straight to Michu. Luckily for Spurs, the offside flag was up, but it wouldn't have mattered as Michu had poked it uncharacteristically wide. It was on his right foot....

16:07
First effort in anger. Sort of. Paulinho dropped a shoulder and dummied a shot past (I think) Canas, before shooting left footed from 25 yards. His effort was weak, though, and Vorm collected easily.

16:06
Rangel did so well there. Under pressure from a man he blocked his run, got to the ball first and played a neat pass out to Shelvey. Other defenders would have put that into touch.

16:05
It's looking very congested in midfield early on. Hopefully we can get our hands on the ball and draw the sting out of Tottenham for a while. They're breaking as I type though...

16:04
A nice move by the Swans saw Shelvey chasing a ball into the right corner, but Danny Rose shepherded it well and drew a predictable foul from the shiny-headed midfielder.

16:02
Cleared away. Good solid start by the defence. Shelvey just pinged a 40 yard pass to Ash with the outside of his boot across our own box. Risky...

16:01
Spurs gain an early corner, but it's put behind for another...

16:00
Roberto Soldado and Moussa Dembele kick off. Come on you Swans!!

15:59
We're about to get underway...

15:57
That Spurs team looks seriously strong...

15:56
The teams are out and shaking hands...

15:52
Less than 10 minutes to kick-off - this seems like a decent stream of the match:

http://lag10.com/channel1

15:31
I'll try to find a good stream and will post a few links on here. Stay tuned closer to kickoff.

15:26
With some time left to kick off, let's have a look at the teams.

For me, when we line up without one of Leon Britton or Ki Sung-Yueng in midfield we've generally not been able to dictate the game from midfield as we've become used to. I also think when Michu plays at the head of a midfield three that exacerbates the problem, and the question is then do we gain more from having him there in terms of a goalscoring threat than we lose in terms of ball retention?

That being said with Canas, De Guzman and Shelvey in the mixer we have three dedicated midfielders in the team for the first time in a while, and I expect that to have a big positive influence on the way we play.

As for Spurs, there are a lot of new faces in that team. Chadli, Soldado, Capoue and Paulinho are all new arrivals, while Danny Rose & Andros Townsend are still fairly green around the gills when it comes to PL experience, so if we get at them early we may be able to upset their rhythm and stop them getting a head of steam up similar to the one which say them demolish Dinamo Tbilisi.

15:14
Team news is out.

Spurs starting XI: Lloris, Walker, Vertonghen, Dawson, Rose, Capoue, Dembele, Paulinho, Townsend, Soldado, Chadli

Swans starting XI: Vorm; Rangel, Chico Flores, Williams, Davies; Canas, de Guzman, Shelvey; Routledge, Hernandez, Michu.