Swansea born Chris Coleman knows exactly what is waiting his team when he comes to the Liberty tomorrow evening

The Coventry City boss will arrive in Swansea tomorrow evening under no illusions as to how the game will pan out in terms of possession but says his side will be ready and prepared for just that.

“We won’t see a lot of the ball and that’s not just us, it is everyone they play against whether it is Doncaster, Reading or West Brom. But what we must do, which we have done against the likes of West Brom and Doncaster at the Ricoh, is play our own game and not try to be fancy. They do that well but that’s not what we do. We have got to be brave on the ball and rock solid and keep our shape and then when we get our moments and opportunities we have got to take them. It is as simple as that.

“It is different to me going back to Blackburn, Crystal Palace or Fulham because I am going back to where I am from and I am still best friends with the friends I had when I was five or six, so I am lucky in that sense and they are all Swansea City fans." said Coleman

“It is a bit strange because I wasn’t brought up at The Liberty Stadium, I grew up at the Vetch Field and that’s where my memories are but it is nice to see them doing so well. It is a nice stadium, they have a good fan base and they are fourth in the league so they have come a hell of a long way."

"The club is run in the right way from top to bottom, they have got some good players and I know Paolo Sousa, who’s a really good man, and they play lovely football. I got to know him a bit when he was at QPR because Steve Kean speaks Portuguese so we had a bit of banter with him, and when he went to Swansea I had a little chat with him because it is my home town and he loves it there."

“But he is a good manager and a football man who you have got to respect simply for what he has achieved as a player. He’s doing really well as a manager. I don’t think he was given a fair crack of the whip at QPR but he has gone to Swansea where he is doing tremendous things."

“Considering they lost Roberto Martinez and a couple of their best players a lot of people were looking at it thinking they would struggle but they are doing better this year than they were last, so he’s done a great job there.”

And does Coleman think the Swans will make the play offs? “I don’t know. I think it will depend on his squad size and when it comes to the crunch it is a question of how many of their players have experienced that pressure of trying to stay in the play-offs when it comes to March."

“Sheffield United are putting on a surge and if they get in there they will benefit from the experience they had last year. Swansea have never been there in this league and with all due respect, we are not talking about getting promotion from the league below to this one, we are talking about getting to the Promised Land , the big one. So it will be interesting to see who can handle it come March and April.”

Photo: Action Images

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