We all remember what happened last season against Nottingham Forest. 1 – 0 to Forest, both home and away. It was the same old story.
At home the Swans were happily plodding towards another 0 – 0 draw (they were certainly the ‘draw specialists’ last season), until SUDDENLY Forest score and throw the Swans into disarray, resulting in a loss, instead of the one point that Sousa was hoping for. After the match Sousa said "We deserved much more, we created a lot of panic but we became anxious after they scored." And I think that’s how many fans will remember last season; creating too many unfinished chances.
When Swansea travelled to The City Ground, the same thing happened: 0 – 0, until a last gasp goal from Luke Chambers ended hopes of retribution and another handful of points slipped away. Too many unfinished chances.
Fast forward to this season and The Swans are all too aware that to have any hope of getting automatic promotion, home wins are not enough – they need away points, be it wins or draws. And I can see it happening against Forest tomorrow. I know a few pundits have tipped either the same score as last season (Forest win) or a 0 – 0 draw... 0 – 0? Those days have surely gone up to Leicester with Sousa? Haven’t they? Brendan Rodgers isn’t Sousa! He has shorter hair and a different accent for a start, but also has an attacking mind and a refreshed arsenal at hand, featuring Sinclair, Dobbie and new-boy Nouble, who are all capable of scoring.
So, with this in mind, I’m predicting... a 1 – 0 victory to the Swans. Okay, I may be completely off (I am ‘The man who knew too little’ after all), but I think with Sinclair on fire and Nouble looking to impress, I can’t see them not scoring. Nottingham Forest are struggling to get consistent wins, but, saying that, have not been beaten at home since last year. And they are the draw specialists this season. Hmm... maybe a 1 – 1 draw then? Okay, scrap my first prediction, I’m going for 1 – 1.
Swansea are the highest placed team in the Championship who have yet to draw or win away. That says a lot for the Liberty Stadium, and maybe their away confidence, but also says that this season is definitely not the same old story. Which is fine by me.
Forza Swansea!
Quote: "0 – 0? Those days have surely gone up to Leicester with Sousa?"
ReplyDeleteThose days have gone but not with Sousa, what with Leicester losing 6-1 to Portsmouth and a goal difference of -11 after 8 games. I must admit it does make me smile, given that he went to Leicester as the Swans were not big enough for him.
Oh, and I'd completely forgotten about that game until I saw it on the twitter feed on the right hand side. So, for the second time today, I have learnt something from this blog. Well done.
On a side note: the timestamp on my previous comment is 8 hours behind?
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