Paulo Sousa remains confident as his team enters the last vital three games of the season
The Swansea City manager has exceeded the pre-season expectations set by his Chairman but knows that having seen their play off comfort zone eroded away, they are likely to have to win two of their remaining games to seal their place at the end of season party.
Speaking ahead of the crucial clash with Barnsley on Saturday, Sousa said “I remember the last Barnsley game, we went there near the bottom and people were talking about a long season – but that was the moment we began to fly. It was the moment we began to get the kind of results we wanted.
“Players began to come back from injury, we started to feel the team grow with my ideas and the mentality I expected to see. We started to fly.
“And, of course, if you said then we would be sixth in the table with three games to go I would have been very happy.
“I can be happy with what we have achieved up to now – but I am a very ambitious person and as a manager I always want to see something better. And because of what I have seen from that moment, I am full of confidence.
“In this moment I have to agree with the chairman, we are speaking in the present regarding our future so yes, they are the most important in a long time.
“I don’t know how many years it’s been since we’ve reached this level and this opportunity.
“When I arrived, the chairman asked me to save ourselves and to stabilise in the Championship for one or two years more and then we can prepare better in the future.
“Straight away I put the target higher because I’m always like that. I said I would be very pleased to finish in the top half. We have gone past expectations, but we will keep working and in the end we will see what position we are.
“But I would be disappointed if we did not reach the play-offs because that is where we want to be, that is what we have worked for.
“And I am quite confident because I see my players with aa lot of ambition. When you see that, I don’t doubt we will finish well. I believe we will be at our best and when we are at our best levels we normally win.
“Saturday is not must win because, with all the respect I have for our opponents, it’s still about ourselves and I am always confident that when we achieve our best levels we will win.
“You finish where you deserve to – and the players deserve to finish the season well.
“They have grown, they have developed, they have come into training with a lot of happiness and ready to receive new ideas because they want to achieve things.
“They trust in me and I want to give everything I have for them.
“The way they’ve worked, they way they believe, the way they play the game, they deserve more. Do they deserve the play offs? Yes."