Liverpool v Swansea - Preview, statistics, team news, predicted lineups, prior form & analysis

The Match

Liverpool are a bit up and down really aren't they? Similar to Man City, they've dominated at home but on their travels they've stuttered, and recent points against West Brom and Fulham were both hard-fought and fortuitous. At home, however (and where we have to play them), they're a different beast and have been absolutely on fire of late. Since losing to Southampton in September they've won nine and drawn one of their subsequent ten home games - imperious.

On top of that, they've got Daniel Sturridge (who if he scores will equal Van Nistelrooy's record of scoring in eight straight PL games), as well as that pesky Uruguayan who decided he wanted to grow up and be a world class footballer. Stopping the supply to those two will be key and if they have a quiet game you've then got a chance to sneak something on the break. It is, however, hard to see them going a home game without either of those two scoring...

Swansea have a lot more reason to be confident than they did a couple of weeks ago. Four great showings under Garry Monk mean the squad are liable to be bouncing and keen to test themselves against Brendan Rodgers' much vaunted Liverpool side. The latest showing against Napoli will have been a massive confidence boost in particular, as they are a top, top team and the Swans thoroughly dominated them. If we can play like that against Napoli, we can play like that against any Premiership side, and that's exactly the message Garry Monk will be ramming home to his players in the buildup to this match.

Prior Form (Most recent at top)

Team News

Provided by resident fitness guru @BenDinnery - make sure to follow him on Twitter for the latest injury news and views

Liverpool are in majestic form at home this season winning 9 of their last 10 games and scoring 36 goals in the process despite carrying a number of injury concerns. Daniel Agger (calf) and another former Jack Joe Allen (hamstring) have only just recently returned to the first team while midfielder Jordan Henderson is likely to play in a protective cast following wrist surgery. Sunday will also see the return of England full-back Glen Johnson after almost a month out with an ankle injury but this weekend will come too soon for Lucas Leiva and Mamadou Sakho. Spanish full-back Jose Enrique is currently in the US seeking specialist advice regarding an on-going knee injury.

Swansea travel to Anfield this weekend to take on Liverpool in their more familiar Sunday afternoon slot having returned to Europa League action on Thursday night. Despite a loss to Everton last weekend in the FA Cup Garry Monk has impressed during his short-tenure and his side will hold no fear against a team who have flourished under former Jacks manager Brendan Rodgers this season. Jonjo Shelvey (hamstring) will be pushing for a starting berth against his previous employers after coming through a 20 minute cameo unscathed last night but midfielder Nathan Dyer will be assessed after picking up a problem late in the same game. Alejandro Pozuelo is once again fit and available following a hip problem but a late decision will be made regarding the fitness of Michu. The Spanish international had a pain-killing injection on Wednesday and was ordered to rest for two days before a return to training.

Completely guessed lineups

Statistics & Trivia

• Luis Suarez has had 55 shots on target in the league this season - 20 more than any other player.
• Liverpool are unbeaten in seven Premier League matches (W5, D2), and are one of only two clubs (Chelsea) unbeaten so far in 2014.
• Brendan Rodgers's men have taken 28 points from the last 30 available at Anfield (W9, D1) since they were beaten by Southampton in September.
• The Reds have scored 43 first-half goals in the league this season, 13 more than top scorers Manchester City have managed.
• Daniel Sturridge has scored in his last seven successive Premier League matches, and eight in all competitions. Ruud van Nistolrooy (twice) is the only player to have scored in eight straight Premier League matches.
• The Swans are winless in their last seven away matches (D3, L4) since a 2-1 win at Fulham.
• Swansea have scored just seven first-half league goals this season; only Cardiff (five) have fewer. They are without a first-half goal in their last six league games.
• Swansea's average ball possession of 59.8% is the highest in the top flight, yet just 25% of their passes have been in the attacking third of the pitch which is the lowest in the league.
• Wilfried Bony has scored eight Premier League goals but none have come in away matches.

Straight from the horse's mouth

Angel Rangel feels recent good performances mean the squad will be in confident mood against Liverpool:

“It’s another big one for us. That’s the beauty of football – we are playing in different competitions against big clubs all the time. Liverpool are in the top four, and it’s against Brendan too which is always special, and they are in top form, but we know we can win up there – we did that in the Capital One Cup last season.  

“They are a different team [to Napoli]. They play with a similar tempo to us, have great players and Brendan knows our style of play – just like we know his. It will be an open game. We have to make sure we keep Sturridge and Suarez quiet, but as long as we are solid as a team and create chances like we did on Thursday night then I’m sure we can get a good result.  

“That performance has given us a lot of confidence. Hopefully we can use that to get a result on Sunday.”  

http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/ar-liverpool-1374052.aspx?#0AmSjLEZb52IgIJp.99

Jan Molby (ex-Liverpool midfielder & Swans boss) feels we'll be a different side under Monk, and understands the board's decision to remove Danish compatriot Laudrup

"We all know how Swansea play but they are a bit different under caretaker boss Garry Monk. They will look to go long at times, especially in the opening 20 minutes at Everton on Sunday.They will be wary about what Liverpool did to Arsenal at Anfield when they tried to play it out. 

“I know Michael as well as anyone in England and he has a certain way of dealing with things. He’s not a ranter and raver. His style was more than good enough for Swansea last season but they’ve decided to go in another direction.

“They were abject in his last game in charge at West Ham and the board obviously decided he could no longer motivate the players.” 

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-swansea-city-boss-jan-6732825?

Liverpool (and ex-Swansea) boss Brendan Rodgers feels Monk's impact on the Swans is already visible:

"Garry's gone in there and been outstanding. I look at the four games and he's done very well. The Cardiff game is a massive game and he's come through that with flying colours. He changed the team a bit at Everton and they lost that one, and I thought they were the better team last night against Napoli.

"He's gone in and galvanised the group. He was a wonderful leader for me, very much in tune with what we wanted to do, and when I look at Swansea, I can see them getting back to that organisation, pressing the ball well, and having good positioning on the field. 

"It will be a tough game for us."  

http://sport.bt.com/sportfootball/football/rodgers-happy-for-protege-monk-S11363878395953?

Analysis

How to stop Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge? That's the question Garry Monk will have been pondering from the moment the final whistle blew against Napoli, and it's fairly obviously the key to stopping Liverpool. Ok, they've got some other exceptional players - especially Phillipe Coutinho, but is Raheem Stirling any better than Nathan Dyer or Wayne Routledge? I think in defence too our back four is just as good as theirs, but you can't argue with the overall disparity in quality. Liverpool are fighting it out at the top of the table for a reason and we'll have to play exceptionally to keep them away from Michel Vorm's goal.

Despite the majority (if not all) of what you'd call Swansea's "first XI" playing against Napoli you'd fancy Monk to name a fairly unchanged side for this matchup, given that his extreme rotation last weekend against Everton meant most of the players who featured last night had enjoyed eight days without a game by the time Napoli came around. How that leaves us for our trip to Italy I can't say, so it's possible there will be some rotation, but I still fancy him to retain Leon & Canas at the heart of the midfield, and that's a good way to start if you ask me.

Key to the changes Monk has made so far has been the reinstatement of another defensive midfielder alongside Leon Britton. With a steady base to build off he's also got the wingers hugging the touchline again, and it again worked to great effect against Napoli. We've got fast players, so why not let them run really fast into space? If we can get our wide men running at Liverpool's defence we can cause them problems.

Wilfried Bony had one of those games where it just didn't happen for him against Napoli, but on most other nights if you have that many efforts one of them will go in. He's clearly a much more confident player than he was a few months ago and he's enjoying his football, but with Monk's changes taking a while to perfect themselves it'll take a little while before the new shape and system clicks into place. When it does, though...

Pablo in particular seems to be loving life. Playing behind Bony as the link between midfield and attack he's looking a new man, threading neat pass after neat pass into space with his cultured right foot. He was withdrawn early on Thursday so it remains to be seen if he's available for the trip to Anfield but either way he's staking a claim to make that position his own in Garry Monk's Swansea team.

If we can play with the intensity we've shown over the last few weeks we can keep the ball away from Liverpool. Gerrard is a great player but he can't cover ground like he used to, Jordan Henderson "doesn't run right" (according to Alex Ferguson) so to me that says we should be worrying about the little man Coutinho. I think he got injured at out place early in the season which he won't have forgotten, but we'll have to keep him quiet if we're to stop Liverpool breaking. With players like Suarez and Sturridge looking to latch onto anything played forward it only takes one pass and we could be 1-0 down.

Am I confident? Yes. Am I always confident? Mostly. It is hard to see us winning this though. Can I predict a draw? That seems a bit boring so while it's probably more realistic I'm going to go for a Swansea win by the odd goal, with Bony scoring late on. Come on you Swans!

(Highlights) Swansea 2 - 2 Liverpool - Match Report

Superb second-half showing sees Swansea rescue a point against Brendan Rodgers' men

When news broke of the two teams selected by their respective managers, it seemed pretty clear we were going to enjoy an expansive, free-flowing game of football. Laudrup opted for Britton, Shelvey & Michu in central midfield while Rodgers deployed Gerrard, Henderson & Lucas, and with Shelvey in particular keen to renew acquaintances with his ex-employers it wasn't long before we saw some fireworks.

Less than two minutes had elapsed when Shelvey took a swing at a dropping ball on the edge of the Liverpool area, and the travelling fans surely started jeering their former player who'd gone on record as saying he "had a few tackles to make". Any mickey-taking was short lived, however, as the shiny-headed midfielder's scuffed effort fell kindly, allowing him to surge past debutant Mamadou Sakho, and while his first effort was blocked he managed to shift the ball onto his left foot and place a shot across Simon Mignolet into the far corner.

It was the first goal Liverpool had conceded in the league this season, but they didn't have long to wait to restore parity. With seemingly no pressure on him, Shelvey played a weak backpass which saw Daniel Sturridge steal in and tuck the ball beyond Michel Vorm. The lead was nice while it lasted...

Sadly for Shelvey, things got worse before they got better. Again, with little pressure on him he gave the ball away when trying to play a drilled pass out to Angel Rangel, who was advancing down the right wing. The direction was slightly off, however, which allowed Victor Moses (also making his debut for the Reds) to steal in and utilise the space created by Rangel's forward run to drift across Chico before firing a show in low which wrong footed Vorm before nestling in the corner of the net. 2-1, and both goals we'd conceded were absolute gifts.

It would have been very, very easy for Shelvey to disappear from the game at this point, but to his credit he carried on playing his game, and he can be thankful he had the calming influence of Leon Britton alongside him. Britton was excellent throughout tonight, and his presence was crucial in Shelvey being able to find his feet after clearly feeling the strain of giving away two goals.

Between the two Liverpool goals the Swans had, in truth, struggled to assert themselves, with Coutinho in particular looking a menace. His link play with Sturridge, Moses & the Liverpool midfield was causing the Swansea defence all kinds of problems, with Rangel in particular enjoying a particularly uncomfortable first-half. There had been a few chances - Shelvey blasted over when well placed while Bony drew a good save from Mignolet, but to be honest we spent a lot of time watching Liverpool knock the ball around much like we've become accustomed to. 

The second goal came in the 35th minute, and for a while I honestly thought this was going to be a game where two individuals would be the post-match talking points - Shelvey and referee Michael Oliver. Oliver seemed, for a while at least, to be trying to infuriate the home support and made a couple of really bizarre decisions which went in favour of the away team, but thankfully the events that unfolded in the second half ensured this was a match remembered for the football as opposed to any particular refereeing decision. 

The second half saw renewed Swansea pressure - the team seemed to have picked up on the growing sense of urgency emanating from the stands, and when Phillipe Coutinho went down injured after clashing with Ashley Williams the game swung markedly in the Swans' favour. The wee Brazilian had been integral in everything good that Liverpool had achieved and his replacement, one-time Swansea target Iago Aspas, didn't seem to understand the role he was being asked to fulfil well enough to be of any use. Jonathan De Guzman had replaced Nathan Dyer at half-time, and that too seemed to help the Swans retain possession, despite De Guzman occupying an unfamiliar wide role.

Swansea piled on more, and more, and more pressure and it didn't take long for Liverpool to crack. Some excellent build up play which was started by Shelvey saw Bony lay the ball of to Leon who dinked it forward to Shelvey, who'd continued his run into the box, and he glanced a header inside to Michu, who dispatched it past Mignolet with a cultured flick of his right boot. Yes, you read that right: his right foot. And there was me thinking he'd forgotten he had one.

The last half an hour saw the Swans wrestle control of an increasingly feisty fixture. Some late challenges from Wisdom and Henderson saw them pick up yellow cards while Shelvey and Lucas were both booked for a bit of handbags earlier on in the night. The best chance of the closing stages fell to Swansea with the momentum firmly swinging in their favour, but Jonathan De Guzman's powerful drive swung to the right of Mignolet's goal. It would have been some winner...

So, what do we make of the overall performance? After some misgivings during the first half I came away very pleased with the performance, and that's honestly the best I've seen us play at home for quite some time. I still think that playing Shelvey as one of our two deep midfielders with Michu as the CAM is asking for trouble against "bigger" teams, and I think how fluid we looked once Pozuelo replaced Bony only adds fuel to that argument. Bony & Michu did show more signs today that their partnership is developing apace, but I find myself increasingly wondering whether any "Best Swans XI" can contain both our forwards. A case of the sum of the parts being greater than the whole, perhaps?

At the back, Chico & Ash were absolutely outstanding while Davies & Rangel were both excellent. Rangel had a torrid time early on against Victor Moses but settled by the 2nd half and enjoyed a much better time of things, while Davies showed just why he's been drawing more and more attention. Time and again he linked well with Routledge, and he showed an eye for a pass on numerous occasions when looking to play in his left-sided companion.

With Britton suspended for the Valencia game it's likely we'll see him back in the team for the next league match (Crystal Palace away) but I'm hoping we'll see a midfield of Leon & Canas deep with one other midfielder ahead of them. Who that is, you can take your pick, but I think if we can first bring a bit of balance to the midfield we'll then be able to add to that formula as we look to kick on and once again improve on last season's league finish. 

A much better night's football then. Still no home win, but given how events had threatened to unfold a point was a very pleasing result indeed. 

(Podcast) Swansea V Liverpool match preview (EPL Roundtable)

The Swansea Way meets This Is Anfield ahead of Monday's match

Last night I spent a while chatting with Kevin De Vries of the EPL Roundtable Podcast & Max Munton of This Is Anfield, previewing the upcoming match at the Liberty.

I think I may have come across as a little pessimistic - I haven't had a chance to listen back to it yet, but it's available for your perusal here:

http://media61.podbean.com/pb/2bf4ad32760cef44effa5af6a77f35be/52317082/data2/blogs1/627651/uploads/swavsliv.mp3

I'll be putting together an in-depth preview of the game in the next day or two, so stay tuned for that too.

Ashley Williams rumours intensify - is selling him the sensible choice?

The increasing rumours around the future of Ashley Williams got me thinking about whether it's always worth cashing in, as seems the norm in modern football. Ash is 29 soon, and has had two solid seasons in the Premier League - more than holding his own and evidently attracting admirers along the way. There have been rumours for a while of interest from other clubs, but at the moment the strongest noises are that bids from Liverpool (predictably) and Arsenal are more than probable. This, to me, leaves the Swans with a choice of two gambles.

"I wish they did this in a vest"

One - you give him an improved contract. Ashley Williams could, if he took a move to a club of that ilk, expect to earn £40kpw. The Swans simply can't match that, but for a first choice, starting XI player at his peak I wouldn't mind seeing a contract of £30k offered. I know it's a lot, and I'm not advocating this to become a benchmark for Swans high earners, but Ash has been exceptional for us and his loss would be massive. Is he worth it? A friend said "I'm not in a position to make that call" and to be honest I'm glad I'm not either. Personally, I like Ashley Williams a lot and I don't see the point in selling. We've got European football next year, and I'd love to see Ash & Chico continue to forge a bond at centre-half.

Two - you cash in. Williams is, in terms of market value, about as valuable as he's ever likely to get. He's a good age for a centre-back, has proven himself in a competitive league and as yet hasn't moved to a big club (where the prospect of failure/being found out is ever-present), so if the Swans were to sell they would definitely be able to get a quite frankly ridiculous price. You have to consider that if a club like Liverpool or Arsenal are trying to buy one of our players, why shouldn't we be asking top dollar? For me rumours of an £8million bid are way below what I'd expect. Knowing Huw, he'd open negotiations very high, and I'd expect at least £12million if Ash was to move on this summer. The problem with this scenario is there is no guarantee we'll be able to find a suitable replacement in time. Bartley had looked tidy when he's played, but with Monk preferred during Chico's recent absence there must now be question marks over his future involvement.

Whether Ash does move on or not, he's been a fantastic servant to the club and no-one can begrudge him a move to a "big" club. He knows what it's like to play non-league football, and the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs in world football may prove too hard to resist, and that's fair enough quite frankly. Will he go? I think only he knows that, and if he wants to stay I'm sure the Swans won't have a problem with that. 

Barcelona reportedly join race for Vorm signature

Catalan giants join list of rumoured suitors which already includes Liverpool & Arsenal

This is the rumour, circulated amongst the press (albeit on April 1st) that Barcelona are looking to add Michel Vorm to their squad in the coming transfer window. Barca stalwart Victor Valdes seems set to depart as he doesn't look likely to extend his contract, which would leave a massive void that the Catalans would have to fill post haste, and it seems that their radar bleeped when passing South Wales as they cast their net in search of a replacement.

It's long been mooted that Arsenal and Liverpool are both admirers of the Dutch international, and with an impressive debut PL season behind him it's no wonder. See for yourself:

Vorm joined from FC Utrecht as a relative unknown, but his star has soared higher and higher since moving to South Wales and he now finds himself coveted by some major players, and in all honesty I'd be tempted to cash in. For me, since succumbing to injury in the Man City game earlier in the season, Tremmel has been the better keeper. 

I know Vorm's has been nothing but excellent since arriving, and his deal was a bargain, but from what I've seen Gerhard has performed to a higher standard when called upon this year, and given he's not 35 until November (and his performances to date) I see no reason why he can't do a job for at least another year or two. One possible issue is Vorm's sell-on clause, which is rumoured to see Utrecht getting 30% of any transfer fee, but with figures of £7million plus being mentioned it would still see the Swans receive a tidy profit.

A quick look at the stats tells me Tremmel has kept 3 clean sheets in 11 starts, and Vorm 5 in 20, but with Tremmel conceding 11 goals and Vorm conceding 29 there's clearly a difference there. Something I think I've noticed too is that with Tremmel behind them the back four seem more organised - the German stopper seems to have a calming influence on the Swansea defence which could possibly have made a difference against Spurs on Saturday. Another statistic plucked from the internet is that (when I asked Opta a few weeks ago) Tremmel had the best "saves to shots ratio" in the Premier League. Couple that with the fact that he's (on average) faced 14 shots per game, two more than his Dutch counterpart, and his statistics continue to impress. 

Now, I'm aware that you can prove anything with a statistic, however I feel this is more a case of backing up a point. His performances, I feel, have been evidently good, and the statistics merely serve to reinforce the point.

Another reason I wouldn't be displeased if Vorm were to be sold for a profit is that a few times now he's been in the press, essentially criticising the level of performance from his outfield team-mates. While there's nothing wrong with a bit of honesty from a player, when it's the goalkeeper it seems a little hard to swallow, unless the keeper is the undoubted star of the show. Last season, for example, I'd have had no qualms about it at all as Vorm was consistently excellent, however this season I don't feel that's been the case, so it seems a bit rich that he's come out with the following:

Vorm in action last year

“We are frustrated as you would be when you lose three in a row, especially when you then start as we did against Tottenham because you make it so hard for yourself. Against opposition like Spurs, or Arsenal, you have to be at it from the second the game starts and we weren’t. 

"When you do that, teams can kill you and that’s what happened. The frustration is there because maybe we could have done something but you have to be there from the start or you lose matches. We weren’t awake this time but it’s not us easing off – everybody knows the season isn’t over. 

We have seven games to go and even though we have 40 points we have a lot to play for, but I think all the players have to look in the mirror and be honest with themselves and ask ‘have I really done everything to make this season end well?’'. I think I can look at myself and say I have done everything I can and if everybody is able to do the same then we can finish the season well.”              Michel Vorm

Does that strike anyone else as a little patronising towards the rest of the squad? I'm possibly being a bit harsh as he missed a chunk of the season through injury, but I don't feel his performance level is as such that he can make comments like that.

Vorm went on to look ahead to the Norwich game:

“It’s a very important game for us because we remember we had the same problem at the same stage last season when we got to 39 points. Now we have to make sure we have a good week’s training and go there with no option: we cannot lose. 

Swansea once again lose to Norwich

“After losing three in a row that has to be the mentality, one we have shown all season to beat almost everybody, and it is about looking in that mirror and doing everything to win the game. OK, Norwich are no Spurs or Arsenal but they are a side we haven’t won against for the last three games so we know they are a very difficult opponent, but there is no option: we can’t lose. 

"Norwich are a good side, strong as a team. They have a good record against us and it is hard to say why because maybe they aren’t a top, top team but they work hard all the time and we have to start with that. They have beaten us quite easily before so we know we have to start well and have 100% focus on scoring that first goal or making sure we don’t concede. We have started well in games and if we score the first we tend to be OK – but we haven’t by the start of the second-half we can struggle. 

“We must work hard as you have to against every side and it will not be easy. But we will not think about Norwich’s record against us. Everybody knew at the start of the season our results at QPR were bad (before Swansea won 5-0) but that is all in the past."

While you'd have to agree with Michel in that Norwich aren't a Champions League level team, I don't think it's any surprise why they keep beating us: They've had our number for a while now. Even the 3-0 Championship victory (where Gower and even Tamas Priskin scored) was, in truth, a very flattering scoreline, as Norwich were at least the Swans equal in that match-up. The Swans will have to finally figure out how to get one over on their East Anglian counterparts as a loss will be the fourth on the bounce, easily the Swans most dismal run of form since hitting the Premier League.

Back to Michel Vorm though: would he be that big a loss? An undoubted shot-stopper, and it is nice to have a keeper known as "the penalty killer", but given the fee being bandied about I feel we could definitely secure an excellent young keeper in the amount of time Gerhard Tremmel has left at his current level of performance. I seem to be in the minority on this one, but I'd have no objection to the Swans accepting a decent bid in the summer, although I've obviously got no objection to him staying on too.

Just as long as he stops chirping up in the press...

Ashley Williams to Arsenal, Swans sign Beckham & more.

Swansea Bay captured at sunrise.

"Where's the sun come from!!!"

This was Swansea winger Wayne Routledge tweeting, of course, about the extended sunny spell we're currently enjoying in South Wales. I could be talking metaphorically, but I'm not - I've lost count of the amount of days we've had where no rain fell - it seems even the weather is smiling kindly on Swansea at present. 

Ashley Williams to Arsenal? 

One news item unlikely to make people smile, however, is the constant, and renewed, rumours of bids for Ashley Williams. Many national papers, including the Guardian and The Independent, both ran with the story that Arsene Wenger has picked Williams as the man to shore up the Gunners leaky defence, and all season Williams had been linked with a switch to Liverpool, to link up with former manager Brendan Rodgers and ex-Swan Joey Allen...and Colin Pascoe. Sorry Colin, almost forgot about you there. Williams is contracted until the summer of 2015, but the press seem to think £8million would be enough to secure his signature. 

I'm not so sure. The Swans have European football next season so the disparity in terms of what the Swans can offer, and what the "big clubs" can offer, is lessening. Swansea sold Allen for a very good price indeed, and Huw showed he's no pushover with the Scott Sinclair deal. The Danny Graham deal - while not ideally timed - is a good bit of business too, with a £1.5million profit on a player we purchased barely 18 months ago, and who clearly wanted out. I think to prise a centre-back away from the club that he's captain of, a club he's played through the divisions with and who he now has the possibility of leading out in Europe, will be a big ask. If it's Manchester United, Manchester City... ok, fair enough, but anyone else? There isn't one team below those two for me who I'd say are guaranteed Champions League football next year, and until a team can offer that they aren't offering anything, except a fatter contract, that the Swans couldn't also offer.

 It remains to be seen if any concrete offers arrive in the summer, but I'd be very surprised to see Ashley Williams leave the Liberty stadium for less than £10million. Captain, leader, cup winner and club favourite, he would leave an enormous gap which would instantly need filling - let's imagine he does depart this summer, who would we sign? Do we promote from within? Darnel Situ came with rave reviews when we signed him but the limited reports I've heard about him playing for our development side don't indicate he's the answer (at least any time soon), but there is one other option in the form of switching Ben Davies to centre-back to accommodate the returning Neil Taylor. Davies has shown he's good in the air, has good composure for a man his age and isn't afraid of a tackle (averaging 2.3 completed tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 4.9 clearances per match) however his lack of experience, when coupled with the loss of Williams', could mean the Swans end up looking very shaky at the back. I'm sure however that if Ash does depart, he'll do so with a successor lined up, and with the full blessing of everyone at Swansea City. 

"Swansea City signed Beckham"

Ki Sung-Yeung. More gifts than a baby Jesus.

Now there's a headline we haven't seen before. Ok, so I'm paraphrasing a tad - this is the news that Ki Sung-Yeung has been likened (by his Korean fans) to David Beckham. Some fans have taken to following him around the country to watch him play, such is the adulation lavished on him by fans. It's long been professed that South Korea, amongst other Asian countries, are football mad, but to see it displayed in such an unlikely place as Swansea really drives the point home. In the pitcture to the right you can see Ki standing beside just some of the gifts he receives from Korean fans, and it's now at the point where he's had to employ a press secretary. I don't even think the club had a press secretary back in the day - it was probably just whoever drew the short straw!

One of the fans who tries to get to see Ki as much as possible is masters graduate Rachel Hur, who lives in London:

"He is such a big star we follow him around the country and watch his games. I have followed him since he was playing for Seoul and first got into the national team and was hailed a bright new star.  

"I think that people had huge aspirations for him and I'm delighted that he has succeeded them. At the moment Park Ji-Sung is a legend but Ki is the rising young star, he's going to be the new Korean David Beckham. 

"His popularity is absolutely nationwide and he has a bright future ahead. It's exciting to meet him and get his autograph, he's such a super star in Korea. In Korea he would get absolutely mobbed in the street."

As I mentioned in a previous blog - the marketing opportunities offered by having a player of Ki's standing playing for the club are massive. If the club aren't already looking at organising a tour, or at the very least a promotional exercise, then they're missing a trick. In Ki Sung-Yeung, and especially given our European qualification, Swansea have an opportunity to massively expand our commercial operations, and with the Swans' track record in learning as they go improving by the day, there's no reason to think there aren't already talks afoot to maximise this opportunity. My father and brother now live in Thailand, and a quick check of Google Maps tells me (I did this with a string held beside the "scale" part of the map - it wouldn't let me check the miles - I assume something to do with China being in the way, and them being scared about people calculating distances near their territory) it's about 2000 miles from Pattaya to Korea. Swans on tour? That could be an interesting experience...