Swansea's season is in danger of ending with a whimper

Five games without a win and Swansea sit 11th in the Championship table, dangerously close to being pushed out of the promotion-chasing pack. The Swans' draw to Hull City at the weekend outlined defensive frailties as Steve Cooper's men conceded four goals in a thrilling 4-4 stalemate at the KCOM Stadium.

Swansea and Hull played out an entertaining 4-4 draw.

A lot of things to work on

Swansea's league position - 11th - is hardly where Cooper and his players thought they would be five games ago. But, having failed to win in five games, the Swans have slipped down the table and almost out of sight of the promotion play-offs spots.

And, it was yet again the leaky defence which proved to be Swansea's downfall. For Swansea fans, it would have felt like a defeat, having taken the lead with just six minutes to go through Rhian Brewster's effort. But, Hull's Tom Eaves scored in the fifth minute of injury time to give both sides a point - a result which did little for both teams.

The Swans were without centre-back star Joe Rodon after he succumbed to an injury following Swansea's eventful 0-0 draw with QPR. His presence was greatly missed as the Welsh side looked like they could concede at any moment at the back. The good news is that the Welshman will be back in time for when Huddersfield Town visit the Liberty Stadium in next weekend's fixture.

Joe Rodon is Swansea's rock at the back.

Positives

Despite the dismal run of form, Swansea could take some real positives away from the Friday night debacle. Jordon Garrick appeared for the first time in four months and even netted in the 77th minute for his first-ever league goal.

On-loan Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher was also particularly impressive. With two assists to his name, Gallagher threatened all night with the 20-year-old registering six shots - more than any other player from either side.

With Gallager justifying Cooper's decision to bring him to the Liberty Stadium, the Epsom-born loanee takes risks in the final third. Such risks were on display for Swansea's first goal as Gallagher drove into the box then delivered a wonderful cross for Wayne Routledge, which highlighted just how effective the Chelsea man can be.

If the Welsh side are going to turn things around, then Gallagher is going to be imperative with Garrick's return giving Cooper a number of headaches in terms of selection. 

Conor Gallagher has impressed since his loan move from Chelsea.

Tough run of fixtures

Following the upcoming weekend's clash against Huddersfield Town, the Swans travel to Fulham then Blackburn before hosting leaders West Brom. Those three games could end Swansea's hopes of a play-off spot or could rejuvenate their charge to the top. 

The Swans' last game against Fulham ended in a 2-1 victory for the Cottagers, whilst their last two fixtures against Blackburn have ended in draws. To make matters worse, West Brom have won their last three games against the Welsh side too. Talk about season defining.

Post-Match Review: Stoke City 2-0 Swansea City

Sam Clucas celebrated in front of the Swansea fans.

Swansea City missed the opportunity to return to the play-offs with an uninspiring display as Stoke City ease their relegation fears.

Damp squib
Following two wins from their last three games the Swans headed to the Britannia Stadium in good form and in good spirits. But, goals from former Swan Sam Clucas - who made his joy known - and a 91st minute James McLean strike made this eight-hour round trip one to forget.

A Stoke hoodoo
It seems almost remarkable, but Swansea haven't won away at Stoke since March 2001 - both sides were in Division League 2 as it was called back then. That's nine games without a win at Stoke. And, remember, this was a Stoke side that had won two and drawn one in their last three games under Michael O'Neill.

What went wrong?
If you had watched the opening 20 minutes, you would have believed that the respective positions in the league table prior to the game - 7th (Swansea) and 21st (Stoke) - were indeed true. The Welsh side were unlucky not to net in the first ten minutes with Bersant Celina unlucky not to get back-to-back assists with an inviting drilled cross.

Celina was all over the place and he himself had a shot blocked on 11 minutes with on-loan Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher being denied superbly by Stoke 'keeper Jack Butland. The atmosphere was growing tense as the home fans knew they were under the cosh. But, they began turning the screw.

Clucas' goal on 55 minutes was well-taken, but Swansea almost replied instantly. A Matt Grimes free-kick hit the crossbar and Rhian Brewster went close twice in two minutes just after the hour.

The Swans tried desperately, but just couldn't find the net as a mistake by debutant Marc Guehi allowed James McLean to run through on goal and end the game just after the 90th minute.

James McLean thanks the Stoke fans after netting.

Positives
Swansea fans got to see Chelsea loanee Marc Guehi in action for the first time and he held his own, though was at fault for Stoke's second goal. But, there was a return to action for Joe Rodon, who finally took to the football field for his first Championhip game since October,

Swansea still hold the lowest amount of goals conceded from set pieces with just five - something which boss Steve Cooper can certainly take pride from.

Matt Grimes looked very impressive against a strong Stoke midfield, rattling the crossbar with a free-kick whilst Rhian Brewster looked a constant threat and Andre Ayew did some magical hold-up play.

What to work on
Surely, Cooper's men have to work on their corner-taking. The Swans earned 11 corners to Stoke's one at the weekend and rarely looked to threaten.

George Byers, Conor Gallagher and Jake Bidwell all looked as though they were struggling against a physical Stoke side. Cooper may well look to switch things up against Preston at the weekend.

Why FA attention over Oli McBurnie was wrong

Going to support your football team is one of the most joyous events for any fan. So, why should a professional footballer be treated any differently?

That's the question that has been asked consistently ever since Sheffield United's Oli McBurnie was "reminded" of his responsibilities by the FA following his appearance on camera allegedly making an obscene gesture whilst watching Swansea City. McBurnie, of course, spent four years with the Swans before moving to Premier League promoted side Sheffield United.

Oli McBurnie pictured here in the Swansea crowd against Cardiff.

Hardly an anomaly

It was derby day for the Swans against their bitterest rivals Cardiff City on January 12 and the 23-year-old striker was in the crowd following Sheffield United's 1-0 victory over West Ham the previous Friday. The Leeds-born forward had scored that game and was clearly just wanting to stand and support his team.

It's hardly an aberration for the Scottish international to be pictured amongst the Swansea crowd, having also been pictured watching the Swans against QPR earlier in the season. Plus, the gesture which McBurnie was seen to be making is commonplace around football grounds up and down the country.

So, why has the FA moved to warn him?

Well, of course, the FA needs to always appear above-board and McBurnie's responsibilities as a professional footballer means he is constantly in the public eye. That, in itself, almost forces footballers to be on their best behaviour, especially when there are cameras watching their every move.

But, critics consistently bemoan footballers as living their own lives and that they are far too detached from ordinary fans. McBurnie proved that footballers are, on the whole, just normal people wanting to support their teams. Is that such a crime?

What we like to see (minus the gesture)

Naturally, the gesture cannot be defended, but the fact that McBurnie had travelled to South Wales on his weekend off shows just how much the Swansea club means to him. If every footballer that supported a side did that then football may well be a happier place altogether.

McBurnie's gesture isn't exactly pretty.

The footballer loves it and the fans next to him love it even more. The chance to mingle with one of their former heroes cannot be underestimated and it's this kind of interaction that spectators love to see. Everyone gets carried away with gestures, but punishing players in this regard just shows how out of touch those at the top really are.

Big Match Preview: Stoke City vs Swansea City

Swansea City travel to Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium in this round 29 Championship clash.

Previous form and league position
Both sides go into this one in reasonable runs of form with Stoke not having lost in three games and Swansea with no loss in four. Their league positions, however, could not be more different as the Welsh side sit just one place and one point outside the top six whilst the Potters lie four points above the drop zone in 21st.

Previous head-to-head
Swansea do not have a good record against Stoke with just one win in their last five meetings. The Swans also failed to beat Stoke at home earlier on in the season, going down 2-1.

Scott Hogan was the hero for Stoke in the two sides' last meeting in October 2019.

Odds and Best Bet
Surprisingly, despite both sides' positions in the Championship table, Stoke are 11/10 favourites on Unibet with a draw at 13/5 on William Hill. A Swansea victory, meanwhile, is 14/5 on William Hill which will surely attract a number of flutters.

Joint top-scorer for Stoke with six, Sam Vokes, is 5/1 to score first on Unibet as is fellow striker Scott Hogan. Sam Clucas also has six goals for the Potters this season and is 21/2 on the same site to break the deadlock. Tyrese Campbell at 13/5 to score anytime and 13/2 to score first on Unibet looks inviting too given his five goals in nine games have helped Stoke move out of the relegation zone.

Swansea's starlet Rhian Brewster already has one goal to his name and he has odds of a remarkable 21/2 to score first and an even more impressive 19/4 to score anytime with Andre Ayew at 10/1 to net first and 7/2 to score anytime on Bet365.

Surely, a Swansea victory at 14/5 on William Hill and Rhian Brewster to score first at 21/2 on Unibet are bargains waiting to happen.

Rhian Brewster celebrates scoring on his debut for Swansea.

Where the Game Will Be Won
For Swansea, it will be whether they can repeat the free-flowing football produced against Wigan last weekend. Their two goals - scored by Brewster and Ayew - were down to extremely exciting and skilful football and boss Steve Cooper will certainly be hoping for more of the same.

Campbell is Stoke's dangerman, but also look out for midfielder and ex-Swansea man Clucas who can certainly ping a pass or two as well finish expertly.

It's remarkable really that both sides have scored the same amount of goals (34) despite their respective positions in the league, but a goal may be enough for either side - especially as Stoke hunt for their third consecutive clean sheet under Michael O'Neill.

Final Thoughts
Swansea will surely be too good for a Stoke side that is clinging on to Championship life by the skin of its teeth. Both sides have been in reasonable form, but if the Welsh side want to earn promotion, games like this need to end up in victories. Though a resurgent Stoke will have something to say about that.

How Swansea's January transfer window has been shaping up so far

Wind the clock back to this time last year and Swansea were in a pickle; the loss of Wilfried Bony, Tom Carroll and Jefferson Montero without replacements hit the club hard, and, it could have been even worse had Daniel James and Leroy Fer completed their respective would-be moves.

Yet, 2020 has seen the Swans resurge; Rhian Brewster, Conor Gallagher and Marc Guehi have added some much-needed impetus to the Welsh side. Hopeful of achieving promotion in his first season with the Swans, Steve Cooper has acted rather than reacted to what could have been a problem.

Marc Guehi celebrating his loan move.

Promotion a real possibility

After losing sight of the play-offs for a spell in November, Swansea sit just one point and one place outside the top six - and they have a game in hand on sixth-placed Preston. And, with the new additions as well as the playing and coaching staff and the fans, all talking about promotion, there is a real feel-good attitude around the Liberty Stadium at present. That mid-season blip has long gone and the Welsh side look in good shape to mount another assault on the Premier League.

Though there is still time until the January transfer window ends, Cooper, chairman Trevor Birch and head of recruitment Andy Scott, must be given a pat on the back for the way they have identified the issues within the squad and rectified them in a short space of time.

It was Cooper's relationship with Brewster that influenced the latter to join and he has already scored on his Swansea debut whilst on-loan Chelsea duo Gallagher and Guehi have added some steel to the midfield and defence respectively.

Rhian Brewster celebrates his debut goal.

Are the Swans finished there for their recruitment?

It's unlikely that Cooper will add any more loan signings to his squad with six already in the Swansea ranks - one more than the limit that can be included on match days. But, that still hasn't stopped the rumour mill from ticking over.

Lorient starlet Julien Ponceau continues to be linked with the Swans with the Welsh club having held discussions with the youngster. That's as far as it has gone so far though. Meanwhile, non-league striker Ronald Sobowale - cousin of Bayern Munich's David Alaba - has been rumoured also, but the chances of Swansea doing any last-minute business seems unlikely.

What about outgoings?

Well, that seems to be where the action is likely to be in the remaining days. Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Genclerbirligi - Turkey) and Kristoffer Peterson (Utrecht - the Netherlands) have already departed the Liberty Stadium. Though Peterson's exit led to a chorus of groans, the Swede had scored just once in 11 appearances.

Kristoffer Nordfeldt has moved to Turkish side Genclerbirligi.

Bersant Celina continues to be linked to a move away with Brighton said to be on his radar as does Andre Ayew, but neither have been the subject of bids and keeping hold of the duo could well be the difference between earning promotion and enduring another year in the second tier.

Post-Match Review - Swansea City vs Blackburn Rovers

Ben Cabango made his full league debut

Swansea still haven't won in six games, but they came close against Blackburn as Danny Graham's opener was cancelled out by Andre Ayew as the two sides fought hard for a 1-1 draw.

Switching things up
Swans head coach Steve Cooper made four changes from the side that was comprehensively beaten by West Brom last weekend with Ben Cabango making his full league debut alongside Tom Carroll, Bersant Celina and Jake Bidwell.


The Welsh side, however, seemed to pick up where they left off against the Baggies, conceding in the fourth minute to a Danny Graham effort. The tension around the Liberty Stadium was palpable as Cooper's men looked to be staring defeat in the face yet again. But, an Andre Ayew header from a Matt Grimes cross in the tenth minute settled the team and the crowd.

Major improvement
In fact, Swansea showed a vast improvement from their demolition at West Brom, with Ayew in particular causing the visitors all sorts of problems. Carroll's red card 12 minutes into the second-half stemmed the Swans' momentum, but Bradley Dack soon followed Carroll for an early bath ten minutes later.

Cooper's men ended the game with 57% possession and 14 shots to Blackburn's 8. This must have given the former England youth boss confidence that his side can turn things around in the Championship.

Controversy
But, what didn't please Cooper was the performance of referee Jeremy Simpson. Incandescent, Cooper blasted Simpson, stating that he should be dropped to the conference. The Swansea boss labelled Simpson's decision not to award a second-half penalty for handball by Rovers' Dack as a "massive error."

Referee Jeremy Simpson came in for some criticism in the 1-1 draw

The list of Cooper's issues didn't stop there though as he referred to Carroll's and Dack's second yellow cards as "mistakes" and also wanted a penalty for a foul on Sam Surridge as Swansea tried to force a winner late on.

Positives
Ghanian Ayew led from the front and seemed to be on a one-man mission to help his side get the three points at the Liberty Stadium. With the worst home record in the Championship's top 17, a loss would have been catastrophic, but the Swans plugged away with Ayew - who is currently looking far too impressive for the second tier - at the helm.

Connor Roberts enjoyed some great runs forward and was a rock at the back when necessary whilst captain Matt Grimes kept the Swans ticking - even after receiving a whack that saw Dack sent off.

Striker Surridge made some superb runs in-behind, but failed to hit the net.

What to Work On
Surridge could do with adding another few goals to his name if he wants to keep his place as does Celina. Again, defensive frailties were on show though with Mike van der Hoorn enduring a nervy first-half and Jake Bidwell getting caught out for Blackburn's goal.

However, it was a much improved performance and there were plenty of positives for Cooper to take into the weekend's game against Middlesbrough. A draw might not have been enough to stop the vultures circling at SA1, but it certainly lifted spirits.

Big Match Preview - Swansea City vs Blackburn Rovers

Swansea City host Blackburn Rovers at the Liberty Stadium in this round 21 Championship clash.

Previous form and league position
With Swansea's 100% away record coming to an end in a 5-1 thrashing by West Brom, the Welsh side will be aiming to get back on the horse after just two wins in ten games. Blackburn, meanwhile, are on a four-match winning run and now sit just above (10th) the Swans (11th) on points difference in the table.

Swansea appeared hapless against promotion hopefuls West Brom.

Whilst Tony Mowbray's men will be looking to add their fifth win in succession, Swansea are in a rut - they haven't won in five games - and are looking over their shoulder, just 13 points ahead of the relegation zone.

Previous head-to-head
Surprisingly, these two sides have met just twice in the league since 2012 and only four times since 1984. The last two meetings have seen the Swans come out 3-1 winners (October 2018) with a 2-2 draw in the most recent fixture (May 2019).

Predicted line-ups
Swansea
Formation - 4-2-3-1
Team - Woodman; Roberts, Wilmot, van der Hoorn, Naughton; Fulton, Grimes; Ayew, Byers, Dier; Surridge
Out - Celina (Doubtful), Garrick (Injured), John (Injured), Mulder (Injured), Rodon (Injured), Routledge (Injured).

Blackburn
Formation - 4-2-3-1
Team - Walton; Nyambe, Lenihan, Adarabioyo, Downing; Travis, Evans; Armstrong, Dack, Rothwell; Graham
Out - Butterworth (Injured), Cunningham (Injured), Davenport (Injured), Gladwin (Injured), Grayson (Injured), Hart (Injured), Samuel (Injured), Williams (Injured).

Odds and Best Bet
Swansea are well-placed to win at 1.25/1 on Unibet, whilst a draw is 2.5/1 and a Blackburn victory 2.25/1.

Andrew Ayew, Borja Baston and Sam Surridge all have six goals for the Swans in the 2019/20 Championship season so far with the trio 8.5/1, 4.5/1 and 6.5/1 to score first on Unibet and bet365 respectively.

Bradley Dack is quite clearly the threat for Rovers, with his 10 goals in the Championship six more than nearest Blackburn contender Adam Armstrong. Despite this, Dack is priced at an inviting 8/1 to score first on sportsbet with striker Danny Graham - who has scored just once in the league - at 7/1.

A draw and Bradley Dack to score first surely look the most tantalising offers.

Bradley Dack is a tremendous threat for Rovers.

Where the Game Will Be Won
If Tony Mowbray names an unchanged side for Rovers, it will see Lewis Travis partner Corry Evans in the heart of the Blackburn midfield. When that duo have played together, Rovers have won a remarkable 10 games from a possible 13.

Swansea need to watch out for Dack too; the Welsh side have failed to record a clean sheet in the league since late October whilst Blackburn are hunting for their second in succession with Dack having scored four in his last four.

The injury to Joe Rodon at the back for Swansea has derailed Steve Cooper's great start to the season and Rovers will be licking their lips at the frailties on show in Swansea's 5-1 reversal at West Brom last weekend.

Final Thoughts
Cooper's men need to desperately find some inspiration from somewhere; a losing mentality is incredibly difficult to get out of, and, with Rovers in a rampant mood recently, the visitors could well inflict further pain on the Welsh side with Cooper limping into the January transfer window.

Blackburn to at least get a draw.