Whether Russell Martin thinks so or not going 2-0 down after twenty odd minutes didn’t help the swans cause at all in a noisy and boisterous Swansea.com stadium. Even the quick fire response from Ollie Cooper left more anguish than hope as a much improved home side paid for defensive errors yet again.

Ben Cabango has to hold his hand up for the first clarets goal and Steven Benda seems to be slipping back in to some of his old ways when faced with even what he would call basic technical goalkeeping. It wasn’t that the hurdle was too high it just seemed the quality of this opening swans eleven paid Burnley far too much respect. The lesson, albeit an old one now regards weak decision making when a team is relegated from the premier league was there for all to see. Burnley have set about this season the way every fan of a relegated side would love. They have retained the majority of their players, secured some wonderful loans and have a top quality manager in Vincent Kompany who has played at the top table.

Not only does Kompany have a football brain which he has developed from his time at Hamburg, Anderlecht and of course Manchester City. As a player this was said of him “Kompany has been described as one of the best defenders in world football, and in the history of the Premier League, he is recognised to be an intelligent and physically strong centre-back, with excellent aerial ability, mobility, and leadership qualities, as well as good technique and distribution. He is also a very accurate tackler, with strong positional sense, and excels at reading the game and anticipating his opponents”. That is a collection of comments from his peers, Alan Shearer and Steve Sutton.

Reading the game and being able to implement those tactics is far easier to do with a squad such as Burnley have in the championship. A squad that didn’t see players leave in droves and when certain figures did others came in. That’s why they are top of the championship, and on the showings against Swansea this season, that is where they will stay. Russell Martin rightly acknowledged the gulf in class post match, and if there is any criticism it has to come from his assessment of the way the swans and Burnley score goals. He is right to say Burnley take their chances rapidly, and the swans do not, they have to work far harder for any success. However, that’s becoming a stuck record of late so we do need to see improvement otherwise the training plans each week don’t mean a thing.

Joe Allen is showing his value to the team, his tenacity at times is incredible and he was snapping away right up until Olivier Ntcham replaced him. There is a definite cause for a smile or two this morning as most people head off back to work after the Christmas break. The FA Cup is next between Bristol City and Swansea City at Ashton Gate next weekend, a chance to forget about this cramped and stifling championship season. 2,500 Swansea fans will be in attendance, there’s no strikes by all accounts and the Jack army is once again on the move.

It hasn’t been the best of restarts to the championship but I for one believe it sure blows the World Cup right out of the water. With Michael Obafemi and Jamie Paterson still excluded from the squad and a better player in Morgan Whittaker on the Swansea sidelines at Plymouth it surely is only a matter of time before Russell Martin brings him back in to the fold.

In fact if it doesn’t happen that would be a clear neglect of duty by the swans.

Swansea City: Benda; Latibeaudiere, Darling, Cabango, Manning; Allen (Ntcham 59); Fulton (Cundle 59), Grimes (C); Cooper (Sorinola 85); Piroe, Cullen (Congreve 76).

Subs not used: Fisher, Naughton, Wood.

Goal: Cooper 27

🟨 Yellow cards: Darling 12, Allen 45+2, Latibeaudiere 79

Burnley: Muric; Roberts, Harwood-Bellis, Beyer, Maatsen; Cork (C), Cullen, Brownhill; Tella (Benson 70), Zaroury (Gudmundsson 54), Rodriguez (Barnes 88).

Subs not used: Peacock-Farrell, Taylor, Twine, Bastien.

Goals: Maatsen 12 & 22

🟨 Yellow cards: Brownhill 41, Beyer 58, Gudmundsson 79, Barnes 90+5

Referee: Oliver Langford 6/10 : Kept his head on for most of the game but it did look like he was itching to get a red out at times. Joe Allen was looking to be the best contender hence his sub for Ntcham.

Attendance: 17,699

Photographs ©Swansea City AFC

Swansea City Polls