Here we are again, though that international break and the Arsenal game make this feel like it's well overdue. Still, have no fear - the analysis is finally here!
(TL;DR Version: The most enjoyable game so far and it was well worth waiting for!)
The occasion
The Swans started brightly and made good use of the wide positions as Taylor and Sinclair combined time and time again down the left flank that ended in promising crosses. It was this partnership that again threatened for the first real incident as Sinclair played the ball to Joe Allen, who was clumsily taken down by Scharner for a penalty. Sinclair never looked pressured (unsurprisingly, as with 40,000 Reading fans at Wembley in a much bigger game he was also very calm) as he placed his penalty shot in the bottom corner to give the home side the lead - and their first Premier League goal - after 13 minutes of the game.
West Brom seemed a bit more fired up after going behind and the impressive Youssouf Mulumbu was pulling the strings in midfield for them. Very good tactical discipline and intelligence saw the Swans defence pulled out of position too often - but the Baggies failed to make any of this good work pay. With Long and Odemwingie getting frustrated, they seemed to lose the cutting edge up front and Leon Britton was the scourge of their midfield, playing between lines and sweeping up any misplaced passes.
After four games without a goal, the Welsh side looked like they could suddenly score at will, and the second came ten minutes after their first. Mark Gower's corner was flicked on by Sinclair (making good use of his pace to lose his marker), and Lereoy Lita opened his account on his first start with a directed header at the far post. Cue celebrations and a booking for removing his shirt - but I'm not sure he minded seeing that yellow! The last twenty minutes of the first half was quite open and West Brom started to come back intot he game as Swansea sat back and closed their defensive holes. Both teams made good blocks to keep the scoreline 2-0 at the half-time break.
West Brom made two changes for the second 45, with Brunt and Dorrans replacing Mulumbu and Thomas. This offered a bit more of a direct attacking threat but I was delighted to see Mulumbu being replaced as he (for me) was the best player on the pitch during the first half. Good pressure from the away side saw a few chances come their way in the opening minutes, but it was a long ball from Vorm that Lita rose majestically to flick into the path of the onrushing Dyer. The diminutive winger held off a challenge as he calmly slotted under Foster for the last goal and send the Jack Army into celebrations again.
After the third, the Swans once again sat back and invited the Baggies to break them down - a task that proved beyond the visitors. Plenty of good pressure and set pieces asked a lot of questions of a small Swansea defence but each time they proved equal to the threats posed and even pressed high up the field to make West Brom start from the very back. With 25 minutes left Simon Cox came on for Scharner as WBA pushed for a goal, Swansea also making changes as the hard-working pairing of Dyer and Lita went off to standing ovations, with the oncoming Moore and Routledge knowing a disciplined, defensive performance was needed.
The last noteworthy incident was sadly an injury. Neil Taylor rose to clear the ball with a header, only for Odemwingie to crash into the back of him (mid-air) after the ball had already gone - picking up a yellow card before taunting the Swansea fans on the touchline. Talyor seemed to be unconcious before hitting the turf and both medical teams rushed the field (with St John's Ambulance volunteers) to treat the defender. A stoppage of nine minutes occurred, with both sets of fans keeping the atmosphere going with chants and songs. Finally Taylor was stretchered off and play resumed, Fede Bessone making his debut since his deadline day return (saying how glad he was to be 'home'). Most of the rest was just playing out time, West Brom not threatening the goal seriously, and Swansea content to take the 3-0 scorline and three points home.
(Still no joy on the tables... honestly, I forgot to look at how to do it!
)
Swansea Ratings
GK) Vorm - 9. Two cracking saves that sent the Baggies faithful into groaning fits, good distribution and commanded the area well.
DR) Rangel - 7. Best I've seen him this season, good runs and got himself out of trouble a few times. Still feels like there is more to come though.
DL) Taylor - 7. Did well against tricky opponents but did misplace one horror pass. I hope the injury doesn't keep him out for too long as he'll be missed, judging by his performances lately.
DC) Monk (c) - 7. Looked slow but his intelligence made it a non-issue. Seems to have a calming effect on the defence and did well against Long.
DC) Williams - 7. Made another excellent block late on, and was never really worried by the WBA attack. Needs to stop getting dragged out wide though.
DM) Britton - 10. Without Leon I think we'd have struggled today. Marauded between the lines and was an interception machine - outstanding.
DM) Gower - 8. One bad pass, a slip and one lapse in concentration - but still a thoroughly impressive performance with distribution and leadership.
AM) Allen - 9. Fantastic energy and intelligence from the youngster, covered every blade of grass. Nearly set up a goal but also impressed in defensive situations again.
WR) Dyer - 8. A little lazy in defense at times but offered good trickery and pace once again going forward. Starting to adjust to the Premiership tempo, and finished well when through.
WL) Sinclair - 8. Looked threatening from the start, and showed good nerves for the penalty. Could have had more chances, but didn't have the luck today.
ST) Lita - 9. Good goal, great passion, nice assist and all round workhorse. I've wanted to see him get a start since I saw his fire off the bench against Wigan - glad he didn't disappoint!
Subs
WR) Routledge - 6 (on for Dyer at 71 mins). Had a defensive job to do and did it well enough. Didn't have much opportunity up front in this outing.
ST) Moore - 6 (on for Lita at 71 mins). Similar to Routledge, this was to replace tired legs and play out time. Seemed off the pace but made their defence work hard to waste time passing around him.
DL) Bessone - 6 (on for Taylor at 85 mins). Didn't have long to play, and not a lot to do as Odemwingie seemed nervous after his booking. Looked okay though.
West Brom
GK) Foster - 7. Made two good saves but did concede three today.
DR) Reid - 6. Tried to show Sinclair wide but ultimately couldn't contain the winger.
DL) Shorey - 6. Easily evaded by slick passing and the pace of Dyer.
DC) Olsson - 7. Kept Lita quiet from open play and looked good in the air.
DC) Dawson - 6. Lost out to Lita in the air twice - both leading to goals.
MR) Thomas - 6. Didn't offer enough of a threat before being replaced.
ML) Morrison - 6. Got past Rangel at times but didn't create enough chances.
MC) Scharner - 5. Gave away the penalty that became the first goal, looked sluggish and a liability.
MC) Mulumbu - 7. Good footwork from the defensive playmaker and he pulled the Swans defence out of position at will. Very surprised to see him replaced.
ST) Odemwingie - 5. Great skill and pace but no end product. Lack of emotional maturity and discipline was responsible for the 10 minute delay.
ST) Long - 7. Quick, strong and hardworking. Let his frustrations boil over at times after the dogged defense held strong.
Subs
ML) Brunt - 7 (on for Thomas at 46 mins). Good set piece deliveries and offered a good outlet for the defence.
MC) Dorrans - 7 (on for Mulumbu at 46 mins). Played well but offered no more than Mulumbu.
SC) Cox - 6 (on for Scharner at 67 mins). Looked to take advantage of his height but the Swans defence had him under control.
Season's predictions
Swansea - 15th place. Not the best I have seen us play, but it was by far the most complete performance. Surprised that our 'lightweight' midfield was so good today but every starter played their roles to (almost) perfection. We needed WBA to miss some chances and we need to cut that sloppiness out around the box, but there were real signs today that we were here to make our mark and not just make up the numbers. We're quite short on cover at the back now with Caulker, Tate, and Taylor injured - plus Situ nad Haliche awaiting appeals on FIFA clearance to actually join us, but if this is sorted then I think we might be safe with a couple of games to go (which will be needed).
West Brom - 14th place. Things didn't go for them today but I see a lot of promise in their side. They have good pace, strength, height, tactics and intelligence - they just missed the passion, teamwork and spirit that Swansea brought to the table. I'm sure they'll hover just out of danger for the season and if they can learn to be a team then I can easily see them pushing into the top ten over the next two years.
Chris
(TL;DR Version: The most enjoyable game so far and it was well worth waiting for!)
The occasion
The Swans started brightly and made good use of the wide positions as Taylor and Sinclair combined time and time again down the left flank that ended in promising crosses. It was this partnership that again threatened for the first real incident as Sinclair played the ball to Joe Allen, who was clumsily taken down by Scharner for a penalty. Sinclair never looked pressured (unsurprisingly, as with 40,000 Reading fans at Wembley in a much bigger game he was also very calm) as he placed his penalty shot in the bottom corner to give the home side the lead - and their first Premier League goal - after 13 minutes of the game.
West Brom seemed a bit more fired up after going behind and the impressive Youssouf Mulumbu was pulling the strings in midfield for them. Very good tactical discipline and intelligence saw the Swans defence pulled out of position too often - but the Baggies failed to make any of this good work pay. With Long and Odemwingie getting frustrated, they seemed to lose the cutting edge up front and Leon Britton was the scourge of their midfield, playing between lines and sweeping up any misplaced passes.
After four games without a goal, the Welsh side looked like they could suddenly score at will, and the second came ten minutes after their first. Mark Gower's corner was flicked on by Sinclair (making good use of his pace to lose his marker), and Lereoy Lita opened his account on his first start with a directed header at the far post. Cue celebrations and a booking for removing his shirt - but I'm not sure he minded seeing that yellow! The last twenty minutes of the first half was quite open and West Brom started to come back intot he game as Swansea sat back and closed their defensive holes. Both teams made good blocks to keep the scoreline 2-0 at the half-time break.
West Brom made two changes for the second 45, with Brunt and Dorrans replacing Mulumbu and Thomas. This offered a bit more of a direct attacking threat but I was delighted to see Mulumbu being replaced as he (for me) was the best player on the pitch during the first half. Good pressure from the away side saw a few chances come their way in the opening minutes, but it was a long ball from Vorm that Lita rose majestically to flick into the path of the onrushing Dyer. The diminutive winger held off a challenge as he calmly slotted under Foster for the last goal and send the Jack Army into celebrations again.
After the third, the Swans once again sat back and invited the Baggies to break them down - a task that proved beyond the visitors. Plenty of good pressure and set pieces asked a lot of questions of a small Swansea defence but each time they proved equal to the threats posed and even pressed high up the field to make West Brom start from the very back. With 25 minutes left Simon Cox came on for Scharner as WBA pushed for a goal, Swansea also making changes as the hard-working pairing of Dyer and Lita went off to standing ovations, with the oncoming Moore and Routledge knowing a disciplined, defensive performance was needed.
The last noteworthy incident was sadly an injury. Neil Taylor rose to clear the ball with a header, only for Odemwingie to crash into the back of him (mid-air) after the ball had already gone - picking up a yellow card before taunting the Swansea fans on the touchline. Talyor seemed to be unconcious before hitting the turf and both medical teams rushed the field (with St John's Ambulance volunteers) to treat the defender. A stoppage of nine minutes occurred, with both sets of fans keeping the atmosphere going with chants and songs. Finally Taylor was stretchered off and play resumed, Fede Bessone making his debut since his deadline day return (saying how glad he was to be 'home'). Most of the rest was just playing out time, West Brom not threatening the goal seriously, and Swansea content to take the 3-0 scorline and three points home.
Match Stats
Swansea////////////////////West Brom
8(5)////Shots (on Goal)////11(6)
4///////////Fouls//////////10
2///////Corner Kicks///////8
1/////////Offsides//////////3
56%//Time of Possession//44%
1///////Yellow Cards///////2
0/////////Red Cards/////////0
3///////////Saves////////////2
Swansea////////////////////West Brom
8(5)////Shots (on Goal)////11(6)
4///////////Fouls//////////10
2///////Corner Kicks///////8
1/////////Offsides//////////3
56%//Time of Possession//44%
1///////Yellow Cards///////2
0/////////Red Cards/////////0
3///////////Saves////////////2
(Still no joy on the tables... honestly, I forgot to look at how to do it!
)Swansea Ratings
GK) Vorm - 9. Two cracking saves that sent the Baggies faithful into groaning fits, good distribution and commanded the area well.
DR) Rangel - 7. Best I've seen him this season, good runs and got himself out of trouble a few times. Still feels like there is more to come though.
DL) Taylor - 7. Did well against tricky opponents but did misplace one horror pass. I hope the injury doesn't keep him out for too long as he'll be missed, judging by his performances lately.
DC) Monk (c) - 7. Looked slow but his intelligence made it a non-issue. Seems to have a calming effect on the defence and did well against Long.
DC) Williams - 7. Made another excellent block late on, and was never really worried by the WBA attack. Needs to stop getting dragged out wide though.
DM) Britton - 10. Without Leon I think we'd have struggled today. Marauded between the lines and was an interception machine - outstanding.
DM) Gower - 8. One bad pass, a slip and one lapse in concentration - but still a thoroughly impressive performance with distribution and leadership.
AM) Allen - 9. Fantastic energy and intelligence from the youngster, covered every blade of grass. Nearly set up a goal but also impressed in defensive situations again.
WR) Dyer - 8. A little lazy in defense at times but offered good trickery and pace once again going forward. Starting to adjust to the Premiership tempo, and finished well when through.
WL) Sinclair - 8. Looked threatening from the start, and showed good nerves for the penalty. Could have had more chances, but didn't have the luck today.
ST) Lita - 9. Good goal, great passion, nice assist and all round workhorse. I've wanted to see him get a start since I saw his fire off the bench against Wigan - glad he didn't disappoint!
Subs
WR) Routledge - 6 (on for Dyer at 71 mins). Had a defensive job to do and did it well enough. Didn't have much opportunity up front in this outing.
ST) Moore - 6 (on for Lita at 71 mins). Similar to Routledge, this was to replace tired legs and play out time. Seemed off the pace but made their defence work hard to waste time passing around him.
DL) Bessone - 6 (on for Taylor at 85 mins). Didn't have long to play, and not a lot to do as Odemwingie seemed nervous after his booking. Looked okay though.
West Brom
GK) Foster - 7. Made two good saves but did concede three today.
DR) Reid - 6. Tried to show Sinclair wide but ultimately couldn't contain the winger.
DL) Shorey - 6. Easily evaded by slick passing and the pace of Dyer.
DC) Olsson - 7. Kept Lita quiet from open play and looked good in the air.
DC) Dawson - 6. Lost out to Lita in the air twice - both leading to goals.
MR) Thomas - 6. Didn't offer enough of a threat before being replaced.
ML) Morrison - 6. Got past Rangel at times but didn't create enough chances.
MC) Scharner - 5. Gave away the penalty that became the first goal, looked sluggish and a liability.
MC) Mulumbu - 7. Good footwork from the defensive playmaker and he pulled the Swans defence out of position at will. Very surprised to see him replaced.
ST) Odemwingie - 5. Great skill and pace but no end product. Lack of emotional maturity and discipline was responsible for the 10 minute delay.
ST) Long - 7. Quick, strong and hardworking. Let his frustrations boil over at times after the dogged defense held strong.
Subs
ML) Brunt - 7 (on for Thomas at 46 mins). Good set piece deliveries and offered a good outlet for the defence.
MC) Dorrans - 7 (on for Mulumbu at 46 mins). Played well but offered no more than Mulumbu.
SC) Cox - 6 (on for Scharner at 67 mins). Looked to take advantage of his height but the Swans defence had him under control.
Season's predictions
Swansea - 15th place. Not the best I have seen us play, but it was by far the most complete performance. Surprised that our 'lightweight' midfield was so good today but every starter played their roles to (almost) perfection. We needed WBA to miss some chances and we need to cut that sloppiness out around the box, but there were real signs today that we were here to make our mark and not just make up the numbers. We're quite short on cover at the back now with Caulker, Tate, and Taylor injured - plus Situ nad Haliche awaiting appeals on FIFA clearance to actually join us, but if this is sorted then I think we might be safe with a couple of games to go (which will be needed).
West Brom - 14th place. Things didn't go for them today but I see a lot of promise in their side. They have good pace, strength, height, tactics and intelligence - they just missed the passion, teamwork and spirit that Swansea brought to the table. I'm sure they'll hover just out of danger for the season and if they can learn to be a team then I can easily see them pushing into the top ten over the next two years.
Chris
still it's all about opinions .
