Swansea dominate in South London as feelgood factor returns to Laudrup's squad
Heading into this game I did have a quiet sense of confidence about the fixture, but I didn't anticipate it turning out like this. From the first to the last Swansea dominated and this game could have ended a lot more heavily in Swansea's favour had it not been for some profligate finishing.
Laudrup lined his team up with Alvaro Vazquez leading the line and Bony rested, and in fairness he can have had little complaints as within two minutes Michu had put the Swans ahead. We could get used to this early goals thing! Routledge and Shelvey were heavily involved but it was Michu who fired in for his third goal in three games, all with his right foot! Unbelievable, Jeff.
The first half continued in much the same vein, if I'm honest. Palace occasionally threatened to break out but every time they were undone by a poor piece of control or a wayward finish. Swansea, on the other hand, were a lot more composed in possession, it was just their finishing that let them down. It really should have been 2-0 a lot earlier, but we had to wait until the beginning of the second half to double our lead.
At half time Palace had lost centre-half Delaney to an injury sustained in a meaty challenge on Vazquez, so they had to rely on Jedinak to fill in with no defenders on the bench. He didn't enjoy the best of starts to the second half, however, as Dyer repeated Michu's trick of firing in a goal very soon after the referee started the half. More good work...nay, excellent work from Michu saw him turn his man and play in Vazquez down the right, who got into the box before shooting from a tight angle. The rebound came back to him and he just about kept the ball in play on the byline, before squaring for Nathan Dyer to fire home. 2-0 early in the second half, and a massive uphill task for Palace from here on in, which they never looked likely to achieve.
Swansea were so comfortable in possession throughout, that it's fair to say that despite Michu's brilliance and Routledge's lung-bursting runs we rarely got out of third gear. Third gear of a currently well-oiled machine, possibly, as the Swans were working hard to create gaps and angles throughout - Ben Davies again excelled throughout and his rampaging qualities are becoming more and more marked. Time and again he burst forward and if he can maintain the enthusiasm with which he's currently playing he's going to be a top, top player.
Jose Canas had been preferred to Leon in midfield, with Shelvey alongside him, and in fairness it was another really good performance from the Spaniard. Neat and tidy in midfield, at one point he started a move, broke into a sprint then stopped dead to hold his position as a defensive midfielder. Much, much better from a man I first thought was a little wild in terms of positioning. Another great performance came from Ashley Williams, who was clearly playing through the pain barrier for the majority of the match. As long as he's not doing himself more damage, that's fine by me, and mighty impressive too. Captain Marvel, and all that.
Another example of tactical discipline came when Routledge strode forward into space, and with acres to galavant into he decided to play a simple pass backwards and retain possession instead. No doubt all the fans who were lamenting Bony against Liverpool for "not working hard enough" would have hated that, but anyone who understands the importance of possession in our system will have had a broad grin on their face.
Swansea made good substitutions too, to keep the focus on attack and possession. De Guzman came on for Vazquez (which meant Michu went up top) while later Pozuelo replaced Dyer & Britton replaced Canas. Fan favourite Britton instantly set about showing why we love him so much, tackling anything that moved and keeping play ticking over nicely, while Palace had also made their own subs to try and get something out of the game. At half time centre-half Delaney's injury had forced them to bring on Campana, while later they brought on Dwight Gayle and Jerome Thomas for Barry Bannan & Cameron Jerome. The two later substitutes did almost fashion a decent chance between them but Gayle's effort was deflected wide.
Beyond that it seemed the result had already been accepted by both sides. For all Palace's drive they couldn't produce anything of note, while the Swans were perhaps guilty of complacency in front of goal during the closing stages, but that being said they were so comfortably retaining possession that perhaps they knew they didn't have to score again. With games coming thick and fast letting the ball do the work for 20 minutes is of massive benefit to the squad's fitness levels.
Another great win then, and on to Birmingham in the League Cup as we look to defend our cup. How mad does that sound? Awesome. Remarkably, that'll make it 6 of the last 7 matches played away from home. It's very much a case of swings and roundabouts though, as I just checked and beyond the Brum game 5 of our next 6 are at home! Given how well the team has performed in the last few matches we could be coming into form at the right time, with Arsenal, St Gallen, Sunderland, Kuban Krasnodar & West Ham all due to visit South Wales in the near future.
One last mention must go to Michu. The floppy-haired wonder seems to have added so much to his game over the summer, and his link play, which wasn't always the best last year, is massively improved. As mentioned earlier he's scored his last three goals (in three games) with his right foot, and I'd say it's fairly clear he's been getting some tuition from Laudrup. Long may it continue, as if he carries on playing like he did today he'll at least come close to matching last season's tally of goals, which will also go a long way to ensure the Swans stabilise as a mid-table Premier League club.