Match Day Thread Swansea City v. Stoke City

Swansea City v Stoke City


Barclays Premier League
Date - Saturday, 22 April 2017
Kick off - 15:00
Venue - Liberty Stadium

Following yet another disappointing defeat away at Watford, the Swans next face mid-table Stoke City who last Saturday did the Swans a favour by beating Hull 3-1.

However, the Swans cannot rely on others helping them out - they have to start winning and get points on the board themselves. Paul Clement's team has 3 games left at home Stoke, Everton & West Brom - as things stand they really must win all 3. Additionally, they will need to win at either Old Trafford or the Stadium of Light......

After an encouraging start to his managerial reign at The Liberty, things have have gone disastrously wrong for Clement in recent games. Arguably some poor selection, poor tactics, (an apparent) inability to motivate & nexplicable substitutions. Add to that some individual player errors - most recently Alfie Mawson's howler against Watford - and we have a team back in freefall.

With Watford being Hull's opponents on Saturday - and the Hornets have now reached the magic 40pts - I expect a win for the Tigers. As such, defeat against Stoke could see the Swans 5 points adrift with 4 games left. So, as Paul Clement himself has recognised & acknowledged, the Stoke match really is a must win game.

Will the Swans' players rise to the challenge, or will they be so nervous & jittery that mistakes will creep in? How will they react if Stoke take the lead?

My heart says that the Swans will win 2-0, but my head says 0-2 to Stoke.....

 

I agree - we are now definitely in 'must win' territory if we weren't before. Unfortunatey, I can't see it as all confidence seems to have evaporated from this team and the defence have regressed after being much improved in Clement's first few games. 0-2....and we're down. Hull should beat Watford. Hope I'm wrong.

 

We need to win and a new formation/line up but I expect Clement to pick the same players in the same positions and we'll lose. Fingers crossed Sparkey will want to see a Welsh club stay in the PL.

My team would be

-------------------Fabianski-----------------
Naughton----Amat------Fernandez------Olsson
----------------Leon----------Cork-----------
Ayew--------------Gylfi-------------Routs
--------------------Baston---------------

I'd pick Baston because either Llorente isn't fully fit yet or he looked like he couldn't be bothered at the weekend.

 

Hughes is a Gog therefore we're not worthy

 

Let's pray that Joe will deliberately score an own goal, give a penalty away and get sent off

 

Some borrowed stats from Saturday with completed passes
Ki 15/17
Carroll 11/12
Fer 10/17 .... trying is not enough
Naughton 10/16 .... marginally better than Fer
Llorente .... 8/13:-

So those stats suggest we should play Ki and Carroll in midfield instead pf Leon and Cork although probably only half the story and stats can be used to prove anything. I would certainly start Carroll in front of Cork but would playing with Leon make our midfield too lightweight. Is a fully fit Borja better than an half fit Llorente? Perhaps Borja to start and Llorente on the bench. Mawson made a bad error on Saturday but if he learns from it I think he is a better bet than Amat. I don't think Amat is quite up to the standard required in the PL

 

Stoke will win easily, I'm going with a 0-3 win to Stoke!......................





And that will be us buried, as Hull will definitely beat Watford...........

 

We will beat Stoke and Watford will draw 0-0 with Hull. Have faith.

 

We need to win as I can see Hull getting something so a nervy 2-1 win for the Swans

 

Clement is proving as inept as Yankee Bob, and well on target to beat Bob's dire record, so there is no way on earth we are winning this game against Stoke, all that Stoke have to do is play Joe and Bony, game over..................



We are in a direct fight with Hull, and they clearly have the better manager, and fighting spirit amongst their players.

 

We are due a good game at home and i think this could well be it.....Drop Llorentte for Baston as this guy showed he dont care and only ran just over 19 meters during the game and that is not acceptable whoever you play for....I would keep Mawson in a 4 man defence for the simple reason we dont have better and up until his horrendous blunder that cost us the game he has been fairly solid,.....Play Ayew Fulton and Carrol in midfield with Gylfi and Fer in front and put Baston as the lone striker......Allowing for a customary goal against i think we will beat stoke 3 - 1.......Watford will beat Hull 1 - 0.....

 

0-4

YANKS OUT

SACK THE BOARD

 

I won't go that far Phil! Clements team don't concede as many goals as Bob's and is much more organised. Our problem is scoring goals which looks impossible without Llorente and an in form Siggy to rely on.

I just can't accept relegation without a fight and still pray that the team will pull off a great escape.

Swans 2-0 Stoke

 

Fab
naughton, Fernandez, Mawson, Olsson
Cork, Carroll
Routs, Siggy, Ayew
Baston

 

Why does everybody think Hull will beat Watford ? I can't see it myself. They can still end up 8th, they will want every point.

Stoke are nobody's fools but if you lot get behind your team I can see at least a point and with luck 3.

Just remember Hull's players will be just as uptight as yours.

Time for the fans to get the Liberty rocking.

 

Well Boro are losing to Arsenal.

 

Boro have lost to Arsenal

 

Because Watfords away form is absolutely pony - Won 3 Drawn 3 and lost 9 with losing 7, drawing 1 and winning 1 of their last 9.

In comparisson Hull are smashing it at home and Silva has made it a fortress. since silvas taken over, won 5 and drawn 1.

The other thing is Watford because they are safe will be on the beach. They don't give a **** about 8th as it will mean nothing to them (player wise). Higher positions just means more money for the club

 

Naughton , Fernandez , VDH , Olsson
Routs , Cork , Fer , Britton Siggy
Llorente or Baston ....if Llorente can't muster his health

 

Why would you persist with our best player on the wing? Gylfi on the wing doesn't work.