Two defensive errors and Swansea players still in their sleeping bags at the start of this fixture lost any chance of taking anything from this game. Referee, Anthony Backhouse added his usual mismanagement of a Swans game which we mentioned pre match, and all together it was an another sleepwalk back to the days of Russell Martin.
Defensive errors, conceding goals early and late on and generally being far too lethargic to boil a kettle let alone to win a football match was a big part of this fixture. For the Swans anyway. There was little venom from the Swans throughout bar a goal busting free kick from Vipotnik when the game was already lost
The Swans had never really got going when an Ipswich attack down the Swans right wasn’t cleared and Mehmeti drilled home a great shot from inside the Swans area. Just two minutes gone. The space he found to convert the goal was proof of the issues we are seeing of late in the defence. Cameron Burgess misjudged a header on five minutes which fortunately was cleared up by Ben Cabango.
Ipswich were in total control and when the Swans did have the ball they looked tentative and prone to giving the possession away. There was little press from the visitors with a more rigid block over the first fifteen minutes. Unlike Ipswich though when there looked to be opportunity ahead Ethan Galbraith was passing the ball backwards which eventually led to a loss of possession and more pressure as Ipswich burst forwards. Immediate proof that this continual passing backwards in dangerous areas does nothing but increase the pressure when the ball is given away.
Proof on the other foot was the Swans had a well worked goal scratched off on eleven minutes when a slightly offside Melker Widell passed for Gustavo Nunes to convert. Direct and clever play which was definitely going to produce results rather than passing the ball backwards. A long throw from Furlong on fourteen minutes caused more issues in the Swans defence, a poor clearance and the ball fell to Azón whose shot was saved by keeper Vigourox. He was in the same place unmarked as Ipswich were for the opening goal.
A lesson not learned.
More Ipswich pressure as the first third of the half passed us by. A free kick comfortably cleared by Burgess with his head, an area of his game that was strong all game. Cabango excelled when a break from the home side was sniffed out but overall he had an indifferent outing. Burgess again saved the Swans with his head when a very dangerous ball was put in from the Swans left. When the Swans did get over the halfway line unfortunately the ball wouldn’t stick with Eom who was finding passing to team mates difficult. This was becoming a feature even after Widell earned the Swans a free kick, he just gave it away. Bar the poor defending by the Swans for the goal they slowly worked their way into the game on twenty five minutes. Thanks to Eom on this occasion.
He was brought down on the Ipswich left but the resultant free kick wasn’t put into the penalty box. Eom disguised his free kick and passed it sideways for Galbraith who only worried spectators in Row ten. Referee, Anothing Backhouse was getting the treatment from the Swans away support, he has a long history of behaving rather indifferently towards the Swans in most of the games he has officiated.
Wes Burns was causing issues on the Swans left, and the pace of the Ipswich play which the Swans are also more than capable of doing was continually causing problems. Ipswich were finding their men well and when the Swans had possession they were too quick to give the ball away. Positives as we passed the half hour were most certainly the defensive work rate of Gustavo Nunes.
On their thirty two minutes a corner from the Swans left was expertly saved by Vigouroux after goalscorer Mehmeti stole in on the other side of Cabango. It was needed. Burgess again came to the Swans rescue on thirty five minutes when he blocked a sure fire shot on goal. On thirty nine minutes Widell made himself some space for a shot but only the corner flag was worried. The exposure of the Swans down both flanks with so much space was concerning. That turned into a second goal when for some reason Cabango left his marking duties leaving Azón in space with no threat at all to pass his shot into the Swans goal. It was a negligent decision by Cabango as now with the deficit at two goals the game was slipping away.
The other noticeable thing was how quiet the home crowd were, it was eerily quiet. After the second goal we were again treated to misplaced passes by the Swans. Head coach, Vitor Matos very animated on the sidelines displayed his frustration. With one minute of additional time announced it was a case of get in the dressing room and look up the term ‘turn up for work’ it was that bad from Swansea City. Just before the whistle Yalcouyé forced a decent save from Ipswich keeper, Walton, a good shot that was going in and needed to be saved.
The second half started with credit to the Swans, they played with more urgency and were more terrior like on the ball. A shot from Liam Cullen saved by Walton again parrying the ball away. It was better but the movement was still not there. With little pressure on the Ipswich defence after that initial few minutes the game fell into a familiar pattern. The Swans clearing danger with nobody up front to gather the ball. Yalcouyé continued to get invovled but was frustrated at the lack of support. Ipswich though were squeezing the space well. Yalcouyé had another effort on goal on fifty four minutes as Matos rang the changes. We saw Franco, Ronald and Vipotnik on for Eom, Yalcouyé and Cullen. The immediate effect was giving the ball away and fouling to regain possession.
Widell tried but ran the ball out of play, Ronald gave the ball away and Nunes did the same as that final ball wasn’t achieved. The press though was better. Cipre seemed to bring down Widell in the area on fifty eight minutes but the referee waved it away. On a second look there was contact. I make that four penalty claims for the Swans waved away by this referee in his last four games officiating the Swans. The most obvious on Eom at West Bromwich Albion around eighteen minths ago.
Due to the Swans better possession the home tactic was to bring down those players disrupting their game. The referee blocked a great move by the Swans on sixty four minutes but didn’t stop the play. The Swans pressed more but still that final ball was so poor. Was there really maximum effort by the Swans to retrieve the ball ? I have to say there wasn’t, despite being more productive in getting forwards the constant poor passing when it mattered came to nothing. A tangle of legs with Stamenić involved as the alleged offender wasn’t a lot different to the foul on Widell, but Backhouse gave the decision in the home sides favour.
On seventy minutes despite the Swans play looking laboured and slow they were getting into dangerous positions. Again the same return was losing the ball leaving Ipswich to quickly break, as stated in the first half - it was at pace. Then another defensive error, Josh Tymon gave the ball away, turning into danger. It was picked up by Ipswich leaving George Hurst to fire the ball home. Typical Swansea at the back, causing their own problems with limited awareness of danger and the centre backs in no place to recover the ball.
Ronald summed up the day for Swansea with another ridiclious cross when he had space in front of him, it sailed over the bar. Quite incredible really. I really don’t get this style of play from Matos, it is too laboured, lacks creativity and encourages negativity. Okay, you need good possession but it is slow and ponderous and every time today as we saw on Tuesday evening it achieved little. On seventy nine minutes with the crowd as silent as I’ve heard at a game this season Cabango allowed Hurst to get in behind him to head the ball on target. Fortunately Vigouroux pulled off an excellent save.
The Swans got into the Ipswich area late on as Stamenić was clearly pulled back on eighty one minutes, Ronald messed up his challenge, the ball went into space but no Swans player was there. Unlike for the Ipswich first half goal. Leo Walta took an opportunity to have a dip on goal on eighty two minutes, his swerving shot just going over the bar. The game may have looked slightly different had referee Backhouse seen and awarded the two penalties, but we’ve said enough about him already.
Galbraith had a go on eighty six minutes, his shot going wide.
Another breakdown of possession thereafter by Ronald led to a home attempt after a good Jack Clarke run which was defended well by Burgess. The Swans were playing at half tempo resigned to losing the game, and to be honest they never really deserved it. It wasn’t shapeless but weak in the first half and the total lack of control of the ball in the second ensured not a lot was achieved. A poor free kick by Tymon in additional time summed up his game. Two very poor defensive errors gifted Ipswich two goals and a sleepy start gave them a good start after two minutes. Playing like this against competitive teams will earn the Swans nothing for the remainder of this season. Playing like it’s a training game and generally wandering about isn’t what Swansea fans want to see. This backward approach in building attacks is too much akin to those Russell Martin days.
A style of football that doesn’t engage the watcher nor impacts on a game of football.
We were given the opportunity to see Vipotnik nearly break the crossbar right at the end of this encounter from a free kick. Credit to those who travelled, you deserved far better than this. Much better.
⚽️ Tractiors: Christian Walton, Leif Davis, Cedric Kipre, Azor Matusiwa (Jens Cajuste 84), Dan Neil (Jack Taylor 61), Wes Burns (Kasey McAteer 69), Darnell Furlong, Dara O'Shea (captain), Ivan Azon (George Hirst 69), Marcelino Nunez (Jack Clarke 61), Anis Mehmeti.
Unused Substitutes: Alex Palmer, Sindre Walle Egeli, Jacob Greaves, Chuba Akpom.
⚽️ Swans: Lawrence Vigouroux 7 Ethan Galbraith 6 Ben Cabango 5 (c), Cameron Burgess, 7 Josh Tymon 5 Marko Stamenić 7 Malick Yalcouye 8 (Goncalo Franco 55) 6 Melker Widell 6 ( Guatavo Nunes 6 Jisung Eom 5 (Ronald 55) 4 Liam Cullen 5 (Zan Vipotnik 55) 6
Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Josh Key, Jay Fulton, Ishe Samuels-Smith, Leo Walta ⬆️ Joel Ward ⬆️
⚽️ Referee: Anthony Backhouse : 2/10, missing crucial lenalty moments and pulling play back when the Swans were in favour. Another typical mismanaged game.
⚽️ Attendance: 27,594
Away : 350
Game review on Sunday.
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