Since Steven Benda has been reintroduced in to the Swansea City match day eleven we have most certainly seen an upturn in fortune and form. Russell Martin tried to sell him on to Peterborough United in the early part of the summer, thankfully that failed, and from there on in things have most certainly taken an upturn.
Andrew Fisher the four hundred thousand pounds buy from MK Dons back in January was always going to remove Benda from his starting role at the swans, and he did just that with Ben Hamer taking a back seat as well. We all saw the flaws in Fisher’s game throughout his extended run as Swansea number one last season, and going in to this season his decision making was becoming more and more of an issue.
The majority of Swansea fans would most certainly point to Fisher’s poor positioning in the last game he played at Stoke City which brought about the potters equaliser, again in injury time. It was evident to any layperson watching things were not right. His flailing around as the speculative cross came in to provide Stoke’s equaliser was evidence enough for many.
Since that game Steven Benda, who has quietly but effectively gone about his professional business in training has moved forwards as a more than competent replacement. And if there is an argument against that I’m yet to hear it. With the introduction of Steven we have seen a more assured defensive unit playing far more confidently. With that we see far more direct distribution from the keeper to the players in front of him. And yes, he does play the ball long as well.
The last three games have seen the swans take six points from nine, with only one goal conceded. And in Benda’s favour the goal he did let in against Sheffield United was most certainly not down to him. Had it not been for the defensive brain bang in the last seconds of last Tuesdays loss to the blades we would have been looking at no goals conceded, and seven points gained from those three fixtures. It’s been a long time coming.
It has to be stated that the swans performances are improving and the reason for that is a different approach to games from manager Russell Martin. Steven Benda came to the club back in 2017, and now at twenty three he has seen the lows of and highs of being loaned out at Swindon and then Peterborough, and it’s clear he has gained a lot of strength from those experiences. That has been reflected in his performances since his reintroduction to the first team this season and most certainly now we see a more confident defensive Swansea unit as a result.
If his recent appearances are to be reviewed he will take some shifting from the Swansea number one spot, he seems more assured and focussed in a goalkeeping role that doesn’t require him to be the next Swansea City sweeper. And that’s a relief all round. It could well be this season will be Steven’s coming of age, with a long career ahead of him it certainly seems Swansea have found a keeper they can be confident in as the season progresses.
Those more positive performances have seen Swansea City in sixteenth position at the international break after ten games of the season, and only eight points off the top two. These are fine margins, and if you want to be finicky the swans are just three points off the play offs.
After his debut in 2020 against Millwall Steven was very pragmatic regards his performance, and it’s continued to be his philosophy to this day. "The thing is I have to want more. In training, you always have to work hard and wait for your chance. I'm thankful that I got it. I think I did well in the first half, and I think I've helped the team. The most important thing is the three points and it's a good start to the season. I'm always working hard and trying to show what I can do. I just have to take my chances when I get them. I wait for my chance. I'm thankful that I got it”
That dedication from a young man making his debut two years ago, and the hard work that has been noticed by Russell Martin this season has led the young German keeper to where he is today. He is now first choice at Swansea City, and he is very determined to keep it that way. Swansea City’s results are improving, and the future is beginning to look a lot brighter. And much of that is down to Steven Benda, Swansea City’s number one.