Brendan Rodgers is eyeing up as high a finish as possible as the Swans reach the final stages of their first Premier League season
Brendan Rodgers is eyeing up as high a finish as possible as the Swans reach the final stages of their first Premier League season
And whilst not mathematically safe, the 39 points that the Swans have secured should be more than enough to secure a second season for them in the top flight after a hugely promising first campaign,
The Swans head to QPR on Wednesday with the home side in a real relegation battle that looks set to cost three of the current bottom five their Premier League status for next season. The match represents the first of four in a row against sides in that bottom five - Blackburn, Bolton and Wolves all follow - and Rodgers knows that this could set his side up for a decent league position come the middle of May
“Every team down there will think they can get out, but I only concentrate on Swansea,” said Swansea boss Rodgers ahead of Wednesday’s game.
“We are in a race and we are entering the final stages of the competition.
“For me it’s about how high can we finish.
“That means looking upwards. We are right up there with the likes of Liverpool and Everton, clubs of that status, with six games to play.
“People talk about Everton and how far they are behind the big teams in terms of finances and they’ve spent what, £5m on Jelavic and brought in players like Steven Pienaar.
“So for us to be anywhere near those sorts of teams shows the work that’s gone in with the players.
“What a huge achievement it’s been so far.
“It’s going to be a tough game. QPR will look at all their home games as must-win now.
“They’ve had a couple of good results so we need to focus and prepare properly for Wednesday.
“It’s a game we will want to do very well in.
“We can’t afford to be complacent.
“Where we are in the league is a great credit to the players and their approach to the game, they’ve delivered some really high performances.
“The minute we come off our game, that’s when results go against us."