Swansea City defeated Plymouth Argyle on penalties last night at the Swansea.com stadium after what was a disappointing performance. Despite a Zân Vipotnik screamer the Swans failed time and time again to beat their man and struggled in possession.
The build up was slow, reminiscent of the Russel Martin era with little attempt to grasp the game and dominate at a pace that would have caused Plymouth a problem. It was too tentative and lacking composite at times. Early days we know but come Saturday and an away fixture against a ‘backs against the wall’ Sheffield Wednesday will be a huge test. They play with an intensity that has displayed their desire to maintain their Championship future at all costs.
There were moments in this game where the home side looked competent enough to win the game but question marks most certainly remain over certain players after this performance. Below are the highlights of this game.
Swans Head Coach, Alan Sheehan commented postmatch, "I think we made it more difficult for ourselves than it needed to be. In the first half I was happy with a lot of things, we controlled the game and had plenty of chances. Then we concede from a set-piece and the second half became like a game of basketball, it was end to end and we were not able to control it well enough. Credit to Plymouth, they came and gave it a really good go and turned it into a proper cup tie, a frantic game”
There was little mention of the pace of the game or players walking with the ball even after fifteen minutes of the game. The Swans are thought to the third round draw which takes place later this evening. Alan Sheehan post match interview below.
Back up keeper Andy Fisher saved a penalty in the shoot out from ex Swan Matthew Sorinola, who if there was an overall player of the match then he would get it failed to finish off a top nights performance. However there are question marks on this Swansea performance.
* Sam Parker, did try and get forwards after Jay Fulton was moved into a back three but had little impact.
* Eom, most certainly hasn’t had a good start to the season, seems to be undecided what he wants to do next, left the pitch injured. Having stress tests today.
* Zeidane Inoussa, started the game and showed glimpses of pace and awareness but needs to start more as the Swans are still monitoring him with limited minutes.
* Zân Vipotnik, a wonder goal by the Slovenian and s slightly better performance but still there are question marks over his overall game. However, two goals in two games tells you about his improvement.
* Liam Cullen, came on as sub but this season he hasn’t started well. This is the reasoning behind the Swans in talks this week with a striker.
* Bobby Wales, seemingly not in Sheehan’s game plan at the moment. Again another game he coukd have featured in. In the last round he scored and had an assist. Seems odd.
* Melker Widell, very busy bordering on headless chicken mode, this level is clearly a step up for him as he continues to settle into Championship football.
Sheffield Wednesday is next up for Swansea City after four home games on the bounce. You will have to check the ticket app for availability it seems to be a lottery still at the moment.
⚽️ The Swans : Andy Fisher 6 Sam Parker 6 Kaelan Casey 5 (Liam Cullen 69) 5 Cameron Burgess 6 (captain) (Ben Cabango 62) 7 Josh Tymon 6 Marko Stamenić 7 (Ethan Galbraith 62) 7 Jay Fulton 6 Melker Widell 6 Zeidane Inoussa 6 (Malick Yalcouye 62) 5 Jisung Eom 5 (Josh Key 61) 6 Žan Vipotnik 7
Unused Substitutes: Paul Farman, Goncalo Franco, Bobby Wales, Ollie Cooper.
⚽️ Pilgrims : Luca Ashby-Hammond, Brendan Wiredu, Joe Edwards (captain), Alex Mitchell, Owen Oseni (Lorent Tolaj 65), Bradley Ibrahim (Caleb Watts 65), Caleb Roberts, Bim Pepple (Malachi Boateng 92), Matthew Sorinola, Joe Hatch (Bali Mumba 72), Tegan Finn (Freddie Issaka 71).
Unused Substitutes: Zak Baker, Ayman Benarous, Joe Mwaro, Seb Campbell.
⚽️ Referee: Elliot Bell 6/10 compared to Saturday at WBA it was a suoerstar performance.
Attendance: 7,279
294 away