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Frankie - It Was Like A Cup Final

I guess if you are one of those people who always think that cup finals are an anti climax then you will be able to relate to Frankie's after match comment when he said that today's win over Aston Villa was just like a cup final.

A poor Swans performance will be masked over a little by the fact that we got the win and have just about ensured Premier League safety for another season but the performance itself probably highlighted more negatives than positives with the one goal being our only shot on target in the 90 minutes.

It could easily be argued that the result was more important than the performance and to an extent that was probably true but the words of the manager make for worrying listening when he said that we were nervous and Aston Villa were able to play with freedom.

Villa are dead and buried and have not looked at any stage this season like a side that is capable of avoiding relegation yet for decent periods of the game today they looked a better side than us which sums up why we have had such a struggle this time around.

But with 36 points we now have 7 games where we can play with perhaps some more freedom assuming of course that is what the manager wants us to do and you have to question that on an evening when we seemed to set up defensively.

"We didn’t play well, but we played with the attitude of a final,” said Guidolin. "The performance was not very good, I know, but this is a match I was waiting for because I know the situation.

"The players played a nervous game, but what I liked this evening was the attitude. Often a final isn’t a good game, but it’s important to win.

"I asked them to play with focus, concentration and solidarity. We played nervously and Aston Villa played freely.

"But we got the goal and won the game, which is the important thing now.

"For the future, I hope to see my team play with this character and attitude, but free of nerves. We must play like every game is a final between now and the end of the season.

"This is the first victory for me at home, and I am very happy. It is maybe the most important victory of our season.”

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