In-spite of having a lot to do in the market, Swansea got off their season with a resilient draw over Southampton and after a heavy loss to United, they’ve fared well. They finished off Crystal Palace and next in line were Newcastle on home territory. The signings of Wilfried Bony and Renato Sanches surely created a buzz but the atmosphere saw a stunned silence after Lascelles’s terrific header and Newcastle’s well-drilled defence suppressed Swansea’s attacks. A dismal draw leaves Clement with a lot of things to ponder upon with games approaching quickly. Here’s how the Swans have been rated:-
GK: Lukasz Fabianski – 6.5/10
Thought he looked fine today. Had to make some crucial stops to prevent the scoreline from going up. His fabulous save to deny Joselu in the first half and his positioning in the second to deny Perez were brilliant. It’s just hard luck that he leaves the game without a clean sheet.
RB: Kyle Naughton – 5/10
Had a sweet game vs Palace but a little disappointing today. Couldn’t make an impact down the right at all. Kept Murphy in check but could have done more easily.
CB: Federico Fernandez – 5.5/10
Looked good aerially and on guard throughout but that one bit of hesitation in positioning during the corner from which Lascelles scored dealt a blow to Swansea’s entire hopes.
CB: Alfie Mawson – 5.5/10
Struggled a bit with Perez’s movement and the away side’s interplay from the right but he kept his composure for the majority of the minutes.
LB: Martin Olsson – 5.5/10
His delivery from the left was a bit underwhelming today and he didn’t have the desired impression attacking wise. Ritchie kept the pressure on him as well.
CM: Thomas Carroll – 6/10
Showed energy and spirit on some occasions and contributed to Swansea’s passing with his decisive touches and movement. Lots of positives to take from his effort.
CM: Sam Clucas – 5.5/10
Looked a bit rusty with his passing and nothing else was negative. Mediocre.
RCM: Renato Sanches – 6.5/10
Impressed on his debut for me. Not completely fit for a full match yet but he brought so much stability to the team. His passing was decent but most important thing was his desire to have the ball back or gain control in that midfield region. What a good signing he’ll turn out to be if this continues.
CAM: Leroy Fer – 6.5/10
Made his presence felt but average with everything and could have done so much better when he tried to link-up with Abraham or Ayew. Got booked for a silly foul as well.
FW: Jordan Ayew – 6.5/10
Tried really hard today with his movements and dribbling. The end-product wasn’t there yet but he came really close. He should be proud of the effort today and keep improving.
FW: Tammy Abraham – 6/10
Got the best chance of the game when he rounded off Elliot but his finishing lets him down. He should involve himself more physically otherwise there’s always a chance he might lose his place to Bony.
