We decided to get the low down on how Swansea are preparing for the meeting with Chelsea on Saturday by speaking to Declan Terry, the editor of readswansea.com.
What has Swansea’s form been like in the run up to this game?
Recent form has been terrific, and it’s has seen us rise out of the relegation battle. March was our best month of the season with a win at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal, along with two home wins against relegation rivals, Norwich and Aston Villa.
There was an away loss to Bournemouth amongst them games, but all in all, three wins out of four isn’t a bad return from a club that was in firmly in the relegation fight. A draw away at Stoke last week was also very pleasing.
How have Swansea found themselves battling relegation this season?
It’s just been a mare of a season, from the hierarchy to the coaches and players. Swansea have progressed every season for the last decade, but in a league as tough and competitive as the Premier League, you can’t just expect to keep on progressing.
We finished eighth last season, but in the summer we hardly spent any money, so we didn’t strengthen our squad at all – or replace Wilfried Bony for that matter. Bad form led to Garry Monk’s sacking, but now, things seem to have calmed down under Francesco Guidolin and we’re pretty much safe. It’s been an unenjoyable campaign, and the most frustrating I’ve ever seen as a fan. Hopefully, next season will be better.
Who are Chelsea going to have to pay close attention to on Saturday?
Gylfi Sigurdsson is our main threat at the moment, and he’s in sensational form. He’s scored eight goals in 2016, which is impressive from a midfielder. The Icelander is deadly from a free-kick and can always create something out of nothing. He really is a tremendous player.
If Modou Barrow plays on Saturday, he’ll be a player to keep an eye out for too – the winger’s absolutely rapid, and has been one of our best players since the turn of the year.
What is the likely lineup Francesco Guidolin will put out?
Guidolin loves a midfield diamond, but the Swansea fans hate it. We’d much prefer to play with wingers, as we’ve got four great wide-man in Montero, Ayew, Routledge & Barrow. I’m hoping that we might see the return of 4-3-3 on Saturday, with Ayew and Routledge starting, and Montero and Barrow good options from the bench.
Paloschi should start up-front instead of Gomis. I think the starting 11 will be something like this: Fabianski; Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor; Cork, Ki, Sigurdsson; Ayew, Routledge, Paloschi.
How do you see the game panning out & what are your predictions?
We normally do quite well against the big teams, so I think we can turn Chelsea over. However, being realistic I think Chelsea do have enough to overcome Swansea at the Liberty. The Blues are in a great run of form and look like a team again under Guus Hiddink. I’ll go for a 2-0 Chelsea win – although I’d love to see myself proven wrong.
