The youth are the answer for Russell Martin : Reading pre match view
Monday, 17th Oct 2022 17:35 by Keith Haynes

Swansea City go in to their next game against Reading hurting from the performance and result away at turf moor, Burnley on Saturday. Tomorrow nights game requires some thought and we hear once again we will see changes in the starting eleven and on the bench.

Luke Cundle should return to the midfield and Harry Darling will also find a starting spot after Russell Martin conceded he made several selection errors on the weekend. They are the expected changes for now, but the inclusion of Ryan Manning is looking more positive now than not. However, if it means there’s a chance of further issues with him he will return next weekend not on Tuesday. That’s where we are at for tomorrow nights game from what we know, and once again this has been reflected today at Fairwood.

However, we feel that there’s another addition that really now should be introduced in to the starting eleven. Armstrong Oko-Flex has seen very little game time since arriving from West Ham for anyone to take a proper view plus Oli Cooper can’t prove his value to the team without being picked. And both of these players would make a dramatic impact if included, and it would signal a change of threat the swans can supply on the night.

We doubt that Oko-Flex is in Martin’s thoughts but Oli Cooper surely is along with Cundle and Darling ? Swansea were ripped apart on Saturday, and even a defensive switch with Kyle Naughton swapping sides of the pitch did little to help matters. Whether or not Burnley are the best side in the championship remains to be seen, but you can be rest assured that Paul Ince and his royals who have had a very decent start to the season will want to continue their good form.

Assistant coach Matt Gill gave nothing away this morning when he said. "The aim will be to bounce back and in that sense it’s great to have another game so quickly. There is disappointment from Saturday because we felt we did not do ourselves justice and we did not match the performance levels we have been at recently. We also have to give Burnley credit, they are a very good team, probably the best we have faced so far this season, but we want to bounce back and get a better result. We have been on a good run recently and that was the biggest disappointment at the weekend, that we did not match those levels”

Despite losing at home to a revitalised West Bromwich Albion 2-0 on Saturday Reading have shown some decent form in the championship so far this season. However, they have lost three of the last six with two wins and a draw. They are very similar to the swans in goals conceded and overall performance levels with the game seeing them in sixth place, the swans are in eighth.The championship is so bizarre this season it’s getting particularly hard to predict matters in any game bar a few.

The royals have had some beatings this season as well, and like Swansea you really can’t suffer defeats of four goals or more and realistically be thought of anything other than an average side in this division. Reading have lost away 4-0 to both Rotherham and Sheffield United and have suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland. Much the same as the swans have been it’s definitely a quandary as to what team turns up. Tom Ince has been a stand out player this season, but with Shane Long and Andy Carroll in their armoury there shouldn’t be any reason for the swans to relax. Anyone who knows Andy Carroll knows he does like playing Swansea City. He has amassed seven goals over the years.