Swansea City: Francesco Guidolin is unfairly a dead man walking
Swansea City face Manchester City on Saturday with Francesco Guidolin’s future unfairly hanging in the balance ahead of the matchup.
Francesco Guidolin could be sacked if Swansea City fail to beat Manchester City on Saturday, according to the Mirror. The Swans have won just one of their opening five Premier League fixtures, and now the walls are seemingly closing in on the Italian.
Swansea played Pep Guardiola’s City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday losing 2-1. The same result this weekend in the Premier League could very well spell the end of Guidolin’s stay at the Liberty Stadium.
Swansea have only won one game from their opening five, however, the timing of this potential dismissal raises eyebrows immediately. Lose to Manchester City, the league leaders, the hottest team in the country right now, and you’re fired? Excuse me?
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That’s no game to judge Guidolin on. Even the two games following are Liverpool at home and Arsenal away. By these standards, even the new man might be gone before the Emirates trip. If you can’t beat Liverpool then, you know, you’ll have to go. It’s the way it is here. It’s ludicrous.
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The opening five games might have produced just one win, one draw and three defeats but, again, look at the fixtures they came in. The first loss of the season at home to Hull City looks bad on paper, but when you see what the Tigers did afterwards, it’s not that bad. Not exactly good, either, but not as bad as it first looked.
The Hull game was followed by a loss to the Premier League champions, Leicester City. Oh, here we go again. You can’t lose to the champions now? That’s grounds for dismissal. Is this Swansea City or Barcelona we’re talking about here?
After the Leicester defeat, Swansea drew 2-2 with Chelsea. How’s that? Not good enough? Should of been a win? Thought so. Then last weekend the Swans went down 1-0 away at Southampton. The opening day brought the only victory so far, away at Burnley.
Overall the results have outweighed the performances, but, still, there’s no grounds for a sacking. Not yet. It’s clearly the intention of the powers that be, regardless of the facts. Beat City or you’re fired? Come on. It’s just a convenient, timely game to use as an excuse.
The club sit outside of the relegation zone in 15th place currently. The start has just been a typical up and down start that the very nature of the Premier League breeds. Certainly not worthy of the sack. Absolutely not.
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Ryan Giggs is the most prominent name that has been linked with replacing Guidolin. Maybe Giggs’ availability is driving this situation. Results certainly aren’t. The only conclusion you could draw from current events is that the move is premeditated. The wish of somebody in the boardroom. Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins, perhaps?
Guidolin hasn’t even got all of the summer signings on the pitch yet. In particular, Borja Baston. The Spaniard has only played eight minutes of Premier League action for the Swans so far. Baston scored 18 goals in La Liga last season for a team, Eibar, who only finished five points clear of relegation.
The situation as a whole still needs time to develop. Five game is too soon to be wielding the axe. Whilst the next three games are probable losses whether you play them now or next May anyway. They don’t decide anything.
It’s the following games against Watford and Stoke City that might actually tell you something more about Guidolin’s team. But it seems the Italian won’t make it that far. Guidolin is a dead man walking.
Dead before his time and before the season has barely come to life.