The Swans sit pretty at the top of the league. Yes, it is still very early in the season, but so far, every point picked up has been deserved, and there is a clear philosophy and style of play. Here are my five takeaways from the home win against Watford:

1. Comfortable at the back

There is a sense of calm in the back four that we have not seen for many seasons. Ben Cabango and Cameron Burgess were ever-present last season, and every goal-kick was taken short and the ball would inevitably get stuck. Today's centre-backs, Stephen Welsh and Filip Lissah, also receive the ball short more often than not, but possess a much more expansive range of passing. Lawrence Vigouroux is always calm in the face of the opposition's press (note his pinpoint press-beating pass to Josh Key in the build-up to our first goal), Welsh looks more for the pacey ball into feet to his central midfielders, while Lissah has a range of options. One 60-yard lofted pass to Eom was beautifully spotted and executed. This is the biggest difference to last season, where we often struggled to progress the ball forward at pace. Key always brings frenetic energy, while Josh Tymon just oozes calm quality and made three or four interceptions today that looked easy but are all down to great anticipation. That's one goal conceded in four games. This time last season, we had also only conceded two goals, but we would keep only one clean sheet in the next 14 league games. That would seem very unlikely this time around.

2. Eom-believable

What happened to Ji-Sung Eom at the World Cup? He featured off the bench in South Korea's opening two group games in a disappointing early exit, but he has come back to South Wales transformed. It is undeniable that his output last season was extremely poor. Despite only completing 90 minutes in three games all season, he featured prominently in the starting XI or off the bench, yet only scored two goals, including a run from the turn of the year to April where he did not contribute a single league goal or assist. Today, he completed 90 minutes and was my man of the match. Adam Idah set up his goal on a plate for him but it was the positive run that gave him ample space. He returned the favour with a sublime jinking run inside on the half-way line, before a defence-splitting pass weighted perfectly for the Irish striker. In the 24th minute, with the Swans fully on top, he sprinted back and slid in on the left wing to break a potential Watford counter-attack. He punched the air in delight. Matos will be just as happy with that as with the goal and assist. I thought he gave bright cameos in the opening two games, and fully deserved his last two starts. In the 60th minute, he held his run well to receive a pass from Melker Widell, and had a one-on-one with the keeper to snag a second goal. His Asian games absence will be a huge loss.

3. Melker's Mark

Talking of impressive cameos, Melker Widell (below) helped see out the game for the last 33 minutes against the Hornets. Like Eom, he contributed in defence and attack. It will be interesting to observe how Vitor Matos uses Widell going forward. The Swede only completed 90 minutes once last season, often coming off the bench to bring dynamism or to close down space, including some employments on the wing at the tail end of the season. Against Derby he started in a midfield three and did well, so he can consider himself unlucky to be dropped. This could be an ongoing problem for Widell because Stephen Eustaquio had a great starting debut today, and I think the Eustaquio-Stamenic-Just trio could be hard to shift. Widell twice came close to a first goal in white; one shot from around 40 yards was a sharp dipping effort, while a second attempt about 15 minutes later from 30 yards brought a stunning save from Federico Ravaglia. If he starts or only plays half-an-hour against Wrexham, he will have an influence.

4. Squad is taking shape

I am writing this with about an hour of the transfer window left. It seems a couple of outgoings could be confirmed in the last few minutes, but Swansea City can be very happy with the incomings. Matos made an early double substitution in the second half, not out of panic but because Watford had started the second half brightly, and bringing on Widell and Yeo did not weaken the team in any way. The starting team included five new players (if one counts Lissah), four of which are in the spine of the team, and all of which have had very positive starts. What's more, the overall increase in quality has seen the likes of Stamenic, Idah, and Eom (below) raise their games. In a crowded field, perhaps Jay Fulton has had the best start to the season of any player, yet he did not start today and is unlikely to start against Wrexham. Joseph Opoku would be another candidate, but after a blistering opening 24 minutes against Derby, he went off with an injury. The Swans didn't miss a beat, and Moussa Yeo took on the mantle of providing endless energy up and down the right flank. All this while last season's top scorer is still feeling his way into the campaign. Matos spoke in the week about the transfer rumours affecting Zan Vipotnik, which may well have played a part. Equally importantly, he did not feature in any games in the pre-season camp in Austria. I would rather highlight Idah's wonderful start to the season than worry about Vipi. I mean, when was the last time the Swans could seriously claim to have two of the top strikers in the league? Answers on a postcard.

5. Flexibility on and off the field

The tactical options in the squad are being reflected in the on-field formations too. As highlighted in point 1, that calmness and organisation at the back has allowed players freedom to roam and drift out of their positions. Key, as is his wont, likes to attack deep into the final third, but there is less anxiety and rashness compared to last season. At one point in the second-half, he found himself in the top-left corner of the pitch! Stamenic was playing in a more advanced role until today where he slotted back seamlessly into the 6 position. Eustaquio will need some time to settle in but he seemed to be comfortable on the ball in all three thirds of the pitch, and just nipped in to shift the ball away from his opponent to create an angle several times today. During the first 30-minute onslaught when we overran Watford, an attack at speed broke down at the last pass in the 20th minute. At that moment, six - yes, six - Swansea attackers were in the opposing penalty area. This was certainly a rare occurrence last season, when at times it seemed like only Vipotnik had the temerity to enter the opposition area. This season, we have had more touches in the box compared to our opponent in every game so far.

There are still 42 games to go, and maybe this time tomorrow we could be outside the top two. But right now, we are top of the table. After four games, you cannot ask much more than that. Take the screenshot, post it in your group chats, and enjoy the evening, Swans fans.

⚽️ MATCH REPORT : Hornets smashed

Photographs : TNTclick media