There seemed to be promise, then there was frustration, poor passing, bad defending and a failure to take control of goalscoring opportunities. Basically welcome to Swansea City football.
Vitor Matos made his first team selection as Swansea City head coach and included Liam Cullen and Jay Fulton in a more experienced line up for this game. Marko Stamenic was dropped to the bench as Melker Widell again failed to make the first eleven. With Liam Cullen linking play between the midfield and attack the selection could only be described as bold. Fulton was making his three hundredth appearance for Swansea City.
Derby County started without joint Championship top goalscorer Carlton Morris who was out with injury on a night which started with a lot of expectation.
The Swans started traditionally with Liam Cullen giving the ball away which caused some frantic clearances by the Swans defence. Then Ronald received the ball on the right, crossed, and it was blocked. Eom was busy being repeatedly fouled as he worked the ball with Ethan Galbraith. It all looked okay and the teams seemed evenly matched over the first ten minutes. Lang for Derby should have done better when he headed over having escaped the attentions of the Swans defence.
On thirteen minutes Vipotnik had a shooting opportunity just outside the area, it was firm but deflected off Ronald. The Swans continued their attacking play when an Eom cross was almost met by a diving Zân Vipotnik who just failed to connect. The Slovenian looking bright and lively. Unfortunately the ball wasn’t sticking up front as Ronald gave away possession. Derby had a shooting opportunity on twenty minutes but Patrick Agyemang was way off. The very high press by Derby was proving difficult to by pass but the Swans still created chances through both Tymon and Eom with a flash cross shot by Vipotnik causing issues. If Ronald could get more tuned in there was most certainly a goal awaiting the home sode.
The Rams high press continued and when it didn’t work they fouled their opponent. Lars-Jorgen Salvesen Who we highlighted pre match had an effort easily saved by Swans keeper Vigouroux on twenty four minutes. We were half way through the first half. Then a lovely shot from Eom cutting inside on the Swans left had to be saved by Derby keeper, Widell. He has scored a few from that angle. But not this time.
The Swans persisted.
On the half hour the Swans hit seventy five percent possession. It was quicker, very responsive when out of possession and all that was missing was a goal. On thirty two minutes Bobby Clarke had the Rams best opportunity to date, finding acres of space on the Swans left he drilled a dangerous cross in which fortunately Ben Cabango cleared. Derby chances were coming from Swansea mistakes, dangerously leaving the defence exposed. The latest from Jay Fulton. Derby were now on their game and as we have seen before on thirty four minutes the opposition hit the Swans hard after dominating a game. A dangerous cross from the Swans right was just about met by Joe Ward with his head and that was the Swans 1-0 down. Again Swansea possession couldn't lead to goals leaving them chasing the game.
The home sides football was still quick which saw Vipotnik make space for another rocket shot, that deflected over the bar. With seven minutes to the break the Swans continued to press, they were being let down by the odd error but were crushing the away side with far more attractive football and opportunities. They just couldn’t take them. Another came on forty one minutes when a Josh Key cross from the right was headed goal wards by the ever impressive Eom. Out jumping the defender the effort was saved.
We had three minutes to go.
Ronald was having problems beating his marker but the Swans pressed. Everything was perfect bar the finish. It wasn’t dull and dour passing for passing sake. It was clinical and effortless at times. Just on half time Cullen hooked an effort well over the bar. A point in case on finishing off some intricate and pleasing moves. As the game started - the half time whistle saw the ball in Swansea possession. How on earth they hadn’t scored at least one goal is baffling.
As expected the Swans started the second half with their selected first eleven, in fact neither side had made any changes. Unfortunately the start for the Swans saw a more tepid style of play with possession being given away. That cautious start led to Lars-Jorgen Salvesen picking up a loose pass after some poor defending by the Swans, his shot whizzed past Vigouroux who had no chance. The defence at sixes and sevens and a midfield which was lacking drive and danger. It needed a boost. Two breaks by Eom saw poor passing into the Derby area and no effort to bust a gut by any Swansea player.
We then saw Cullen off for Franco, Stamenic on for Fulton and Benson on for Ronald. The Swans though were ragged and uncoordinated despite a Key shot and a desperately poor Eom corner.
Derby were looking like the side to score the next goal. Swans passes were now going backwards, Cabango choosing a negative pass when Franco was available. The same player (Franco) then for some reason back heeled to nobody leading to another Derby chance. There had to be a change in ambition to get anything from this game, but on sixty minutes there was no evidence. The Swans were now not finding their men when Derby in possession could. This was leading to a good few minutes lost whilst Derby slowed the game down. Every Swans cross was now being cleared, every pass was a struggle when in attacking areas, the Swans were poor. It has to be said that Derby defensively were solid, they narrowed the game when they needed to and attacked with purpose finding their men. Diaz had an opportunity on sixty four minutes but he shot high. If anyone was going to score on this second half showing it would be the Rams.
The visitors were sensing more goals, Agyemang was the latest to get a chance but his header went wide. The Swans couldn’t get out of their half. When they did they didn’t have the wherewithal to combine their play. We were approaching seventy minutes and the Swans hadn't even bothered the Derby keeper in the second half. Tymon was joining in on the poor crosses. Benson was on for Ronald but he looked reluctant to take on his opponent. On Sixty nine minutes there was hope. The Swans had a free kick on their right just on the edge of the area. Eom took it and Ben Cabango met the ball with a decent header, and the Swans luck ran out right there. It was straight at the keeper. Anywhere else and it was a goal.
On seventy three minutes a lovely cross from Key evaded the Swans players in the box when it just needed a touch. More evidence of no player really committed to make a difference. We then saw Zeidane Inoussa on for Eom who of all the Swans players could say his input was generally decent. However, it all felt like the game was heading for another Swansea defeat. On seventy six minutes Diaz broke after a Stamenic mistake and drilled his shot which was well saved by Vigouroux. A minute later in front of a well marshalled Derby defence a corner was earned by the Swans but it came to nothing. More poor possession put Derby on the front foot but the Swans fought back. Derby were defending deep but well organised. The Swans had no answer to this at all. With ten minutes to go the Swans continued in the same vein. Attacking slowly, crowded out and losing momentum. Each move would end up with poor decision making and losing the ball. Manuel Benson replaced Ronald, on one occasion Benson worked his way forwards but he was impeded by Diaz, he was booked.
The free kick was played to Derby.
Idah was now on for Vipotnik. Little changed bar an Idah cross which went to nobody, the reason being no Swansea player was in the box.This second half effort was almost like walking in treacle. Nothing the Swans did was working mainly because everything they were doing was pointless. Benson crossed on eighty seven minutes, there was no challenge for the ball at all. He did though look like he was finding his feet. Franco continued running around adding to the foul count. The seconds ticked on, the crowd drifted away, and the slow passing continued with no impact or direction. Inoussa adding to the frustration as another move broke down. The immobile Swans when in possession were shocking.
Then an opportunity, Benson crossed it was flicked on for Galbraith who controlled the ball and put it behind Widell in the Rams goal. Some would say the patience of the Swans had paid off but they needed time and four minutes added on didn’t seem enough. Derby stalled the game for a minute of those four. Another thirty seconds went by wasted by the Rams keeper. There would be another chance surely ? Derby were defending frantically but balls forwards were wasted. Derby then took another thirty seconds over a throw in. Testament as to the Swans luck was when Benson cleared and it rebounded off Key for a corner. Another yellow card was shown for a trip on Franco. The Swans were still in their own half. Cabango gave the ball away, then taking no notice of the Rams time wasting referee Kitchen blew up for full time.
Overall it wasn’t good, it never really looked like being good for all of the second half despite Galbraith’s strike. Nothing changed but then you couldn’t really expect any with around a day and a half for the new head coach to bed in. It doesn’t get any easier this coming Saturday with West Bromwich Albion away. If Sheffield United get the points tomorrow evening against Portsmouth Swansea City will be one point outside the relegation zone. They are the hard facts, and carry on like this they will become very realistic too. We could go on about all the failings we are currently seeing, and with a head coach new to the job there has to be a quick turnaround otherwise Swansea City will be in a tough relegation scrap. And playing like this they won’t get out of it.
⚽️ Vitor after match : We had a first half which was better, more fluidity. We need to be more effective, players in the box. When it happened there was no momentum to get back, but we need to improve. Today we played with a back five, we need more than anything to use more counter press movements. Full video interview later.
⚽️ Swans: Lawrence Vigouroux 6 Josh Key 6 Ben Cabango 5 (C) Cameron Burgess 5 Josh Tymon 6 Jay Fulton 6 (Marko Stamenic 57) 5 Ethan Galbraith 7 Liam Cullen 5 (Goncalo Franco 57) 5 Ronald 5 (Manuel Benson 57) 6 Jisung Eom 7 (Zeidane Inoussa 75) 5 Zan Vipotnik 6 (Adam Idah 83) 5
⚽️ No £50 jackpot for a score of eight or over for the brain tumour charity and we are just itching to give the money away. The ‘Play with fire’ MOM moves to the Hawthorns on Saturday.
Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Melker Widell, Ishe Samuels-Smith, Kaelan Casey.
⚽️ Rams: Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, Danny Batth, Matt Clarke, Sondre Langas, Patrick Agyemang (Andreas Weimann 80), Lars-Jorgen Salvesen (Kayden Jackson 71), Callum Elder, Joe Ward (Ryan Nyambe 80), Ben Brereton Diaz, Ebou Adams (captain), Bobby Clark.
Unused Substitutes: Josh Vickers, Craig Forsyth, Corey Blackett-Taylor, Liam Thompson, Curtis Nelson, Owen Eames.
Referee: Andrew Kitchen 6/10, let the game flow generally.
Attendance: 14,251
407 away.