Swansea City: Three hopes, one fear
KINGSTON UPON THAMES, ENGLAND – AUGUST 30: Botti Biabi of Swansea City during the Checkatrade.com Trophy match between AFC Wimbledon and Swansea City at The Cherry Red Records Stadium on August 30, 2016 in Kingston upon Thames, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
The summer of 2016 was the summer of Welsh football. Can Swansea City continue the good vibrations?
Anyone with a television and at least a modicum of interest in football fell in love with Welsh football this summer during the European Championship. The Dragons’ supporters and the play of the likes of Gareth Bale, Ashley Williams, and Joe Allen made Wales the darlings of international football. But with the Euros over and the Premier League up and running again attention in Welsh football goes back to Swansea City.
Can the Swans build on the summer of work laid in by the national team and really turn Welsh football into a powerhouse?
There are a lot of things to like about Swansea entering the 2016-2017 campaign. With new owner Jason Levien (who is a co-owner of Major League Soccer’s D.C. United) and manager Francesco Guidolin the Swans appear to have an identity and a plan.
Although the club lost Williams and Andre Ayew in the offseason, management showed their interest in long-term development by re-signing Gylfi Sigurdsson and Nathan Dyer. The hope is that under new management and additional revenue that the Swans can make the move to a top ten Premier League club. But the fear is that the loss of Ayew and Williams might be too much for the Welsh side.
So rather than going addyman books to read up on the side join us here at Playing for 90 to look at the three hopes and one fear of Swansea City.
EIBAR, SPAIN – JANUARY 30: Borja Gonzalez of SD Eibar duels for the ball with Recio of Malaga CF during the La Liga match between SD Eibar and Malaga CF at Ipurua Municipal Stadium on January 30, 2016 in Eibar, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Hope #1: That Borja Baston can replace Andre Ayew.
Baston, 24, was the Swans big offseason signing coming to the Liberty Stadium on a 15.5 million pound transfer from Atletico Madrid. The Spanish international scored 18 goals while on loan with Eibar last season which put him at the top of the La Liga scoring table and led to interest from European suitors. The hope for Swansea City supporters is that Baston can replace Ayew, who scored 15 goals last season.
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Although Baston is not exactly a like-for-like replacement for Ayew (Ayew is a bit stronger and is left-footed) he should be able to match his scoring output. Much like Ayew, Baston scored most of his goals last season on long crosses into the box.
If Baston can develop a rapport with Sigurdsson, who is one of the best crossers in the Premier League, and Leroy Fer (who has scored twice this season already) then Swansea should have little problem finding the back of the net.
The one big concern is Baston’s lack of experience in top-flight football. His tremendous season with Eibar aside, Baston has spent the majority of his career on loan with teams in the Spanish second division. Given the differences in style between English and Spanish football there may be a bit of a learning curve. Overcoming that curve quickly is paramount to the Swans success during the 2016-2017 season.
SWANSEA, WALES – AUGUST 06: Jefferson Montero of Swansea takes the ball past Mehdi Zeffane of Stade Rennais during the pre-season friendly between Swansea City and Stade Rennais at Liberty Stadium on August 6, 2016 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)
Hope #2: That Jefferson Montero can have a bigger role in the attack.
When Montero came to Swansea in 2014 after a terrific run at the World Cup the hope was that he could make the next step and become one of the top midfielders in English football. Although he has had his moments Montero has yet to realize his full potential. Entering the third year of a four-year contract there is perhaps no better time for him to become a leader for the Swans on the attack.
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The good news for Montero is that it appears that he finally has a manager that fits his style. Guidolin showed during his time with Udinese that he likes to build attacks through wide play and that he is willing to throw caution to the wind on counter-attacks. That should be music to the ears of Montero, who has had his greatest success when being the conductor on the outside.
His first touch and slight movements has given defenders nightmares for years. If Guidolin can develop an attack that plays to his strengths Swansea could have one of the most dangerous attacks in the Premier League.
Montero will never lead the league in goals. But he could become a very dangerous piece if used properly. At 27, time is running out for him to fulfill his potential.
BURNLEY, ENGLAND – AUGUST 13: Burnley’s Dean Marney vies for possession with Swansea City’s Leon Britton during the Premier League match between Burnley and Swansea City at Turf Moor on August 13 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Chris Vaughan/CameraSport via Getty Images)
Hope #3: That Leon Britton has another year of Premier League football left in him.
Britton has had a long, storied career with Swansea that goes back to 2002 and the club’s dark days in League Two. Aside from a one year blip at Sheffield United Britton has been with the club throughout their entire run through the English Premier League pyramid, making 522 appearances with the club.
The big problem is that Britton is 33 years old and has a lot of wear on his legs. Although he did make 23 appearances with the side last season at times it appeared that his play was slipping. So the focus Guidolini this season will be to utilize Britton in a more effective manner, to find a player who can take over some of his responsibilities.
That player may be Fer. Fer is a bit more of an attacking midfielder than Britton but has shown that he is more than willing to make the extra effort on defense or sit back and help set up the attack. Playing Fer alongside Britton could in theory create a partnership that would be beneficial to both parties. Fer is not ready to take over the reigns of the center of the pitch and Britton’s career is not exactly over. A 4-4-2 combination with Britton playing a bit behind Fer may be a formation worth examining.
HALEWOOD, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) New Everton signing Ashley Williams poses for a photo at Finch Farm on August 09, 2016 in Halewood, England. (Photo by Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)
The big fear: that losing Ashley Williams may spell doom for the Swans.
For eight seasons Williams was the heart and soul of the Swansea defense. Those that watched Wales this year at the Euros saw what type of player he was: always willing to make the late run, willing to play hurt, and someone who a manager can always count. The funny thing is that Swans supporters have known this for years having watched him for the past eight seasons grow and mature into one of the top center-backs in English football.
But now Williams is gone having left for Everton in the offseason on a 12 million pound transfer. While it would be easy to say that Swansea can replace him with any player the truth is that it is very difficult to replace the face of a team. There is also the added stigma of explaining to supporters why one of their favorite players had to leave.
On the pitch, it appears that the club is leaning towards Jordi Amat. Amat, 24, has been with the club since 2013 making 49 appearances across all competitions mostly as a spot starter during Premier League play and in cup competitions. Thus far he has proven himself to be an adequate replacement making several key stops in their 1-0 opening day victory over Burnley. The question is if he can do it over an extended period.
Off of the pitch it will be up to Levien and chairman Huw Jenkins to move the club forward. Supporters will forgive Levien for letting Williams go if he can help the club develop new players and invest in the product on the pitch. Levien’s time with D.C. United has been a bit checkered with the club dropping in the standings and being unable to get back to former glory.
Although Levien cannot be blamed for all of United’s maladies their lack of spending in the transfer market and lack of a youth academy program have fallen during his tenure. Those will certainly be worrying signs Swansea City supporters.