Yankee_Jack
Key Player
massive upgrade in goal
Swansea V Sheffield Utd.
- Thread starter Jackflash
- Start date
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Fair result considering we really offered nothing in the final third.
We have to improve our fitness to play Swanselona 2.0. It will come.
We did not buy into Martin’s play forward too much tonight. Opportunities to cross were squandered time and again. Paterson the main culprit … then when he did cross it was rank
We have to improve our fitness to play Swanselona 2.0. It will come.
We did not buy into Martin’s play forward too much tonight. Opportunities to cross were squandered time and again. Paterson the main culprit … then when he did cross it was rank
Mom Manning was outstanding fair play. Not been his greatest fan so far but he excelled tonight. Martin has to make better use of Lowe and Cullen in particular. By common consensus among the Swans who know, eg Trunds, Curt, Leon, KOL and young Toshack, Cullen is our most natural finisher. But he, and Lowe, were given sod all to finish tonight. The service was abysmal at best and non-existent at worst. This is NOT an opinion it's fact!!
Our midfield have to stop faffing about in the final third and get the ball into the players who will make a difference - Cullen and Lowe. Both were subbed tonight and neither had done a damned thing wrong. No better way than to dishearten and demotivate a player. Apart from that I thought it was a pretty decent display against a team that was in the PL last season, albeit as cannon fodder.
What I saw bodes well for the future and we will only get better under Martin. HOWEVER, he has to ingrain something vital to our midfielders and that is to get the ball into the fcuking box so our strikers have something to go at: and not only occasionally but at EVERY opportunity. Do that and we'll start climbing the table pronto.
Our midfield have to stop faffing about in the final third and get the ball into the players who will make a difference - Cullen and Lowe. Both were subbed tonight and neither had done a damned thing wrong. No better way than to dishearten and demotivate a player. Apart from that I thought it was a pretty decent display against a team that was in the PL last season, albeit as cannon fodder.
What I saw bodes well for the future and we will only get better under Martin. HOWEVER, he has to ingrain something vital to our midfielders and that is to get the ball into the fcuking box so our strikers have something to go at: and not only occasionally but at EVERY opportunity. Do that and we'll start climbing the table pronto.
On tonights performance I wouldn't think Russell Martin will be under any mis apprehensions about whats needed to get goals.
One glaring stat is that it took 80 mins. to gain a first corner .something you would expect from a keeper either tipping one over the top or around the post, but even then it was a rebound off a defender. We never put their keeper under that sort of pressure. Without doubt a marked improvement in our game going forward, but as normal falling apart with that killer pass and finish.
No disrespects to Russell Martin, but it sounded like a carbon copy of a MK Dons game.
One glaring stat is that it took 80 mins. to gain a first corner .something you would expect from a keeper either tipping one over the top or around the post, but even then it was a rebound off a defender. We never put their keeper under that sort of pressure. Without doubt a marked improvement in our game going forward, but as normal falling apart with that killer pass and finish.
No disrespects to Russell Martin, but it sounded like a carbon copy of a MK Dons game.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Fitness … we are not yet at the level we need to be to play the way he wants. End of the international break should fix that.
New players integrated well in midfield although didn’t give us the buzz we needed in the final third. We’ve played far worse with regulars under Andy Pandy. I still like the quality of Williams … there’s going to be one almighty scrap for places when Fulton is available. We do need a #10. Paterson isn’t it. It’s either Fulton or somebody new. Can one of our forwards do a Dobbie..
Some of our best players are not available … Fulton and Roberts. It’s going to get better and better.
Lati struggles getting back.
Cooper was great in his first league game. Poised and effective. Will grow to become our starting regular CB in preference to Bemnett much sooner than later. For me tomorrow … he’s ready and dealt with United’s forwards comfortably … even roughed up McB a couple of times.
Benda … nothing more needs to be said. His name is synonymous with his value and everything he delivers that Woody could only in his dreams. If only we had a team of Bendas … he is more accurate with either foot than some of our players are with their beat.
New players integrated well in midfield although didn’t give us the buzz we needed in the final third. We’ve played far worse with regulars under Andy Pandy. I still like the quality of Williams … there’s going to be one almighty scrap for places when Fulton is available. We do need a #10. Paterson isn’t it. It’s either Fulton or somebody new. Can one of our forwards do a Dobbie..
Some of our best players are not available … Fulton and Roberts. It’s going to get better and better.
Lati struggles getting back.
Cooper was great in his first league game. Poised and effective. Will grow to become our starting regular CB in preference to Bemnett much sooner than later. For me tomorrow … he’s ready and dealt with United’s forwards comfortably … even roughed up McB a couple of times.
Benda … nothing more needs to be said. His name is synonymous with his value and everything he delivers that Woody could only in his dreams. If only we had a team of Bendas … he is more accurate with either foot than some of our players are with their beat.
CroJack
Key Player
Patience, mate, patience. Sheepfield United game was a huge improvement to the Blackburn one. Not in the final third but defensively. Sheepfield didn't create much. Just imagine what would have happened if it was Cooper instead of Martin? McBurnie, Brewster, Sharp etc. would've slaughtered us.
In his post-match interview Martin says he is well aware of our struggles in the final third. He also says the coaching staff has been working with our back-line in order to give us some structure (read: trying to eradicate sloppy passing). They haven't been working much with the players who play up front.
Let's have a look at some stats from the Sheepfield game.
Six Swansea players had 90+ % passing accuracy. Ten Swansea players had passing accuracy >= 80%. As a team we had 88% passing accuracy.
Possession: Swansea 63%, Sheepfield United 37%.
Shots: Swansea 8, Sheepfield 8.
Shots on target: Swansea 1, Sheepfield 2.
Dribbles: Swansea 4, Sheepfield 11.
Aerials won: Swansea 15, Sheepfield 20.
Tackles: Swansea 14, Sheepfield 11.
Corners: Swansea 1, Sheepfield 6.
Dispossessed: Swansea 9, Sheepfield 8.
Forward passes: Swansea 352, Sheepfield 256
Passes in the final third: Swansea 147, Sheepfield 102.
Conclusion
1. We controlled the game much better than against Blackburn.
2. Sheepfield created better chances and had more corner-kicks than we did.
3. One of the reasons we were not able to create more is that Sheepfield was forced to park the bus for the vast majority of the game. We we so dominant with the ball in their half.
4. When an opposing team parks the bus, then you have to shoot and cross more, run with the ball towards instead of around opposition box, dribble more and play more one-twos.
5. Martin says we lacked explossiveness in the final third. He should've brought in Piroe, Dhanda and Whittaker earlier than he did.
P.S. I call Sheffield United Sheepfield United because they call us sheep-shaggers on their fans forums. I hoped Swansea Shaggers would've shagged Sheffield Sheep at least 3:0.
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Not being impatient or critical, just pointing out how coincidental this result was, as we were informed of the MKDons results prior to his appointment, I agree things can only improve if the previous couple of games a anything to go by. Can see us being in the top six by mid season.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
All great points above. The journey has begun. Heartening back to Martínez, Swanselona 1.0 didn’t truly kick-in until October of the season we won L1 … we are unbeatable from that point forward.
Martín will rotate midfield with the twice a week game schedule until he finds the combo that checks all of his boxes. So we can expect to see, at least for August as players acquire the fitness levels required, all of the players get a chance. I’d like to see Williams and Fulton play.
Martín will rotate midfield with the twice a week game schedule until he finds the combo that checks all of his boxes. So we can expect to see, at least for August as players acquire the fitness levels required, all of the players get a chance. I’d like to see Williams and Fulton play.
Piroe and Whittaker didn't show particularly well when they came on. Not their fault, neither were Cullen or Lowe at fault. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear in respect of service to the strikers. That all important word 'service'. Our strikers had NONE!!!!! and you do NOT score goals without it. I saw Cullen show for the ball a number of times and was completely ignored. Why? If a striker doesn't get the ball when he continually shows/moves/calls, he stops doing it.
Our problem has long been the abysmal lack of creation from midfield and I'm hoping that improving it will be one of Martin's absolute priorities. And we need MORE BODIES IN THE BOX when we attack. Okay, it takes top fitness for a team to do that and then defend properly, so it's good to see that Martin intends to up our levels.
It's still early days so expectation levels must be reined in until our manager has had sufficient time to get his message across and the players enough time to learn to implement it. For now the signs are encouraging and we will continue to get better by the game.
CroJack
Key Player
This is interesting.
We had more quality shots than Sheepfield United.
Quality shots are shots on target that require a save or an active block. A weak shot on target that can be easily saved is not a quality shot.
Lowe's shot required a save, and Lati's an active block.
McGoldrick's shot (wrongly called for offside), which Benda saved, was their only quality shot.
We had more quality shots than Sheepfield United.
Quality shots are shots on target that require a save or an active block. A weak shot on target that can be easily saved is not a quality shot.
Lowe's shot required a save, and Lati's an active block.
McGoldrick's shot (wrongly called for offside), which Benda saved, was their only quality shot.
CroJack
Key Player
Lowe had one. And I was impressed how he tamed the ball and managed to fire a quality shot despite being surrounded by four Sheepfield defenders. It's in the highlights.
Also, Paterson had a great forward run with the ball and fed Lowe who passed the ball to Cullen who then put it on the plate for Lati. Lati's shot was blocked, the ball rebounded and came back to Lati who passed it to Cullen but Cullen fluffed his chance.