The international break came a week too late for Steve Cooper and his tired and leggy squad, yes, it’s a time to rest and assess the players and Swansea’s chances. There are new injuries, not at all assisting the final run in for the swans. Let’s have a look on what could, can, and may well happen.
Only nine games to go, and a possible twenty seven points up for grabs, which most certainly won’t be achieved, now we see the swans sat in third spot in the championship - and focussing forwards on the next six weeks of the season. Returning to the championship today, Kick off 8pm, the swans are away at Birmingham City, that is the first test. A new manager in Lee Bowyer, and a return to form faces the swans for that clash. Typical many swans fans will say, as it isn’t the first time a team playing their worst football find a new manager then turn it around just in time for Swansea’s visit.
Lee Bowyer is the new Birmingham manager, usual stuff for the swans
The extra game
This is the crucial match which will put pressure on Watford in second place in the league. Sheffield Wednesday v Swansea City. A Tuesday game kicking off at 6pm, however this relies upon some things being up together come that game. First off the away game in Birmingham, it has to be a win. A draw, ok, a draw isn’t the end of the world, but lose this and things really do start to fall apart. On bank holiday Monday, thats the 5th, its PNE at the Liberty, that’s a must win, no more pussy footing around. It just has to be. Of course by then, having just sacked Alex Neil, PNE will have a new manager. Yes, a new manager. We won’t go there.
It’s time for Cooper to get ahold of what’s left of the season, no messing
So within four days of the return of the championship, we will know if we are in it or not, it’s must not lose territory that’s for sure. The Millwall away lunchtime kick off on the tenth of the month sees the swans then in to the rearranged Owls game on the Tuesday ( 13th ) That’s the game where a squeeze on Swansea’s rivals can be a serious catalyst for how long this season lasts the club. To reinforce the swans credentials two home games follow to Wycombe on Saturday April 17th and then QPR on Tuesday the 20th.
We should know where this is going, IF the swans can hit the ground running from today, then IF the games are won without a reintroduction to walking football and a real commitment and confidence returns then the last three games are key. Away at Reading, let’s be honest again this could be a game the swans lose ( we won’t win every game ok ? ) home to Derby is a no brainer, it’s a must win, that leaves us the last home game of the season.
Injuries are taking their toll, the on/off Ayew international game which caused him to get injured, Hourihane not exactly right, Guehi still not assessed as he won’t be seen until later today, it’s hardly a decent start. However, we feel Whittaker coming in could well shake up the squad a bit. He looks hungry.
Finishing above Watford is the only chance the swans have of getting to the premier league automatically, and the hornets have eight games left, they are on a run of extraordinary good form. We make an assumption, and rightly so, that this cannot continue. They have lost only one game in the last ten. Incredible. And they are scoring goals for fun. They do have away games at Brentford and Norwich to come, a glimmer of hope. In fact a Brentford win would obviously help the swans hugely, some form of irony there. Watford are on seventy five points, the swans on sixty nine. They cannot win any more than five games tops from their last eight otherwise Swansea won’t catch them. And five wins could actually clinch it for them, it would put them on ninety points.
Xisco Muńoz is on a superb run of form
Swansea City would be more than happy to hit that last game of the season with a win required to get promoted. This is how the maths have to go, the swans can’t lose at home, that’s clear. So, four home games, twelve points. Another five away, granted the swans have to win away the last game of the season, we have Sheffield Wednesday, Millwall, Reading and Birmingham to pick up around nine points. Not unachievable, but the last few games we have witnessed have determined now if the swans felt tired before the international break, by the end of this run of games they won’t feel any different come May.
Pick up around twenty points from twenty seven from the remaining nine fixtures can be done, and if the swans do we reckon that 89 / 90 points will take the club up to the premier league. However, knowing how we have been in the past two months, and the pending loss of a few more players in Conor Hourihane ( possibly) and the impact of the international break it’s potentially a journey too far. If the swans get to five wins out of the coming games it’s fifteen points, and that won’t be enough to get an automatic spot, all it does is leave a very tired team needing to win three play off games which as it stands, on current form will result in the same end to this season as last.
Just being realistic.
Remaining games apart from Sheffield Wednesday away