Bony the bemusing benchwarmer

Okay he's not a bench-warmer in the traditional sense, but now seems a good time to ask the question: why does Wilfried Bony - Swansea City's record signing - start most of the games on the bench?

The Bench.

Naturally we as fans don't know everything Michael Laudrup knows. But, while he's proved naysayers wrong in the past with some decisions, starting with Bony on the bench doesn't seem to be his finest move.

As we know from watching Bony in action, he's strong, he can hold up the ball and turns well, and he can score vital goals against the top teams! He's the striker we've all been calling for for the past few seasons. So why doesn't he consistently start?

One theory for Bony starting matches on the bench is that he is very useful as an impact sub. And there is no denying that he is just the firepower Swansea need when chasing a game.

What we've seen recently, especially at home, is the team go down a couple of goals, then Bony comes on and we get one back, then get a great rally going, then... it's too late. It should be Swansea who come out, grab a great goal (or even a poor, lucky goal) and sit back a little and see what the other team bring.

Now, it could be a fitness issue - Bony may tire himself out easily and Laudrup doesn't want to risk fatigue. He's a big guy and doesn't look like he has Nathan Dyer levels of energy, so this may be plausible. If this is the case, a better strategy would be to start both Bony and Michu together, then as Bony's energy flags, swap him with a benched midfielder (say, Leon Britton) and put Michu up front.

I mention Michu there, which brings me onto another point - as a few on Twitter have also highlighted - the less Michu and Bony play together, the less of a partnership they develop. And as the Swans start to progress in the Europa League, that partnership will be crucial.

As I say, this is all speculation. And it's not like it's every game he starts on the bench. However I just think that Laudrup could be a little more ambitious, especially in home games. Bony is too good and too expensive to leave on the bench for half a game and if the Swans want to reach a higher position in the Premier League this year, Bony must start more games on the field.

---

What are your thoughts on this? Why is Bony starting so few games? Leave your comments below or tweet me.

Read all about it (or don't): Blog is back! Swans out of cup! Arsenal visit Wales!

Yes, we are back!

Sorry if you have tried to check the blog over the past two days - if you did you would have been presented with a spam page advertising tooth-whitening services and, possibly, dirty photo...

For the past three years I haven't had to think about renewing my domain name - money just left my account and things sorted themselves out automatically. However, for some reason, this year Blogger decided I had to do it manually. Cue me procrastinating, missing the deadline, losing my domain account password, emailing five different support accounts, crying, then eventually getting the site back up.

I'm gutted because for the first time in three years ForzaSwansea registered a day without any hits!

Anyway, let's put this behind us and enjoy Swansea City's defence of the Capital One Cu... oh, yeah. The Swans are out. That was fast! It's pointless me lying and saying I was going to make a prediction that Swansea would lose 3-1 to Birmingham last night because, truth be told, I wasn't. I would have predicted a second string team would have defeated Birmingham quite comfortably but, like the world of blogging, not everything is simple.

It's a shame that Swansea didn't maintain any run in the Capital One Cup. It was our trophy to defend and bowing out in a dismal display (from what I heard - I didn't see the match) isn't what we were hoping for.

Then again it was unlikely that the club would be able to sustain a good standing in the Premier League AND get to the knockout stages in the Europa League AND defend the league cup, and I think we'd all rather the first two happen, so it's probably best to be out of the cup early on.

So onto a tough game against Arsenal on Saturday at the Liberty Stadium (5:30pm). It'll be an interesting game and one we should probably expect to lose, with Arsenal holding a great away win record at the moment.

But we have done Arsenal before (a win and a draw last season for starters) and, with a rested squad, we should have the determination and energy to get something from the game. Yes they have Ozil (I don't know how to do the little dots over the O...) but we have Michu, Bony, Canas, Shelvey, Vorm and the rest!

I'm going to say 1-1 (around 5/1) is my prediction at the moment, but you'd be silly not to cover Arsenal to win 2-1 (at around 7/1). Then again my predictions have been dire (...Nathan Dyer) recently, so you'd also be pretty silly to listen to what I say!

Swansea City 3-0 Valencia: Kings of Europe!

A guest post by Andrew Lassiter

Following a mixed start to the Premier League, Europe has been Swansea City's strongest competition so far this season and it's safe to say that all Swans fans were looking forward to the Europa League opener against Valencia last night.

And it didn't disappoint! The 2,000-odd Jacks who travelled to soak up the remaining Spanish sun were rewarded with a 3-0 crushing of the Champions League giants!

Although Valencia haven't looked particularly strong of late - in fact quite the opposite - the BBC rightly pointed out that Welsh sides have historically had very little success against Spanish clubs, and the odds were against Swansea ahead of the match.

However Angel Rangel led his team through an incredibly lopsided win in flawless fashion. Despite missing key players like Williams, Britton and Davies, the Swans showed intent and intensity from the off.

Of course Adil Rami's early red card didn't help Valencia, but it takes nothing away from a passing masterclass from the Swans. In the end Swansea controlled 65% of the possession and it's not surprising to see how. Canas in particular passed himself into a frenzy, while Pozuelo ran the opposition ragged. The only Englishman in the team - Nathan Dyer - excelled as well. And Bony also showed his strength and made another European statement with his early goal.

The other two goals were equally satisfying, especially de Guzman's superb free-kick. He's occasionally been disappointing with set pieces, but the finish was perfect - on par with Pirlo this time!

So it was the perfect start to Swansea's European campaign, putting them right at the top of Group A in Europa League play.

Ultimately, this should also inject a bit of confidence into the Premier League pursuit. Of course, winning the league is an unrealistic stretch at this point, but if you take a look at the Betfair news gambling exchange, which offers fixed betting odds for a variety of outcomes, Swansea are currently 16/1 for a top-6 finish in the Premier League. A top-6 finish certainly seems within reach at this point as, beyond the top four, the rest of the league seem to be pretty evenly balanced.

The winning is likely to continue on Sunday when the Swans face Crystal Palace away (1:30pm), before a trip to Birmingham on Wednesday evening for the defence of the Capital One Cup. It's a great time to be a Swans fan!

Swansea City: Lessons from the opening

We are now three games into the new season and we've already experienced panic, joy and the rest after watching Swansea City. The transfer window has finally closed, everybody is staying where they are and the Swans have four competitions to play for. Former Swan ALEC JOHNSON is taking a breath, then analysing what we can take from the opening month.

---

By Alec Johnson

Club
Our club is incredibly well run - that's not news, but it's always worth reminding everybody. Huw had his hands in the right places during the transfer window, working very closely with Laudrup and his team of Vikings. We can also have confidence in the club to manage the budgets within our means. Once Bony was signed we were always in the market for loans and freebies.

If there is a bullet to fire at the club, it has to be in the direction of the ticketing department. It is beyond painful and the frustration lies across the board with fans, irrespective of status in the supporter hierarchy. It cannot be that difficult to promote an efficient processes for purchasing tickets. Frustration ranges from three hours to three days. They will get it right eventually - they always do in the end - but it’s taking far too long.

We also know we are now a big club. Each season highlights the growth curve that we’re on. In fact we are a bigger club than our last opponents West Brom these days! While they struggle to fill their seats at the start of a season we still have a short supply, by some five thousand or more. How things have changed since we met in the play-offs twenty years ago when we were in awe of them - even intimidated by them - in almost every way.

Players
Our core has become Spanish! As long as we’re winning most won’t care, but if the tide turns then the Spanish archers will be out in force with their "they don’t understand our league" arrows. Individually they all bring something a little different, with only Pozuelo worthy of being classed as typically Spanish. Pozuelo is a very exciting prospect and has the best feet since Alan Davies. Let’s hope he gets plenty of opportunities to start to shake those dancing feet.

Most impressive for me so far has been Michu. Playing in the deeper role he affects every area of the pitch and is never more than twenty yards from the ball, while his energy and passion is contagious for the whole spirit of the team. At the Hawthorns last week I followed him closely and don’t recall him actually giving the ball away once. His awareness and unselfish play embodies everything that the great man Laudrup stood for on the pitch. He is our standout performer, scoring or not.

We don’t have the biggest squad - 22 could be classed as small for a club entering four competitions, but every position has adequate cover and, barring any disaster, we will be safe until May. However I would have added an extra body or two myself.

Europe
Loving it. Our style of battering teams at home and sitting back away has worked through the double headers but may need to be reconsidered for the group stages where away points will be vital. If we change this style and adapt could we progress? I think so. There is no reason why we can’t run through to springtime and beyond. Turin in May sounds great!

League
For those hitting the panic button - stop. There are at least ten weaker squads than us, but the way we play the game requires a lot of confidence. A third league defeat to kick off the season may have seen the rest of the year take a different shape but thankfully that wasn't to be. The win against West Brom away was huge for us. We will develop from here and pass the ball under different circumstances and give Liverpool a tough game next week.

Our real place in the pecking order will be visible come ten games in. We should be sitting in the mid-table positions looking ahead to a decent November and December, kicking off with our nasty neighbours.

On that topic...

... Nasty neighbours
I've sort of got used to seeing them hanging around us in the top flight now. I'm not surprised by their energetic start, nor by their apparent love of set pieces and whacking it 90 yards to create the odd chance from a second ball. My prediction remains that they will struggle and slip away into the abyss, followed quickly by Odd Job at the helm.

Our manager
He remains the coolest man at the club and it is with no surprise that clubs continue to circle, with Benfica seemingly very interested in him. I had complete faith in him through the summer and have total faith in him seeing this season out, beyond which I believe he will move on. When he eventually does up sticks, it won’t be to Benfica but to a title contender in one of the big four European leagues. He would have deserved it and will reach the very top within a couple of years.

So, it’s as you were this season, with plenty more action than we are used to at this level. Let’s enjoy the ride, who knows how long it will last!