New boss makes mark, but a long way to go for Swans

CARLOS CARVALHAL was less than sociable at home on Christmas Day, 24 hours after being sacked by Sheffield Wednesday. His wife and son were visiting from Portugal, but the calls did not stop and so he kept ducking out of the room to answer them. ‘We were celebrating as a three in Sheffield but I used the phone a lot that night. I received calls to work from Japan, Turkey, the US and other countries far away, as well as England. It was a strange day. But that’s the life — we are professionals.’ Time will determine how grateful the supporters and staff of Swansea City can be for how those calls played out. But what is indisputable now, just four days after he accepted the job, is that this leftfield choice orchestrated the most unlikely of debut wins and with it delivered a little hope that Swansea can crawl out of this mess. Even that smidgeon of optimism didn’t exist before goals from Jordan Ayew and Luciano Narsingh turned this match in its final four minutes. Carvalhal went 4-4-2 — not a typical Swansea shape, and for most of the match it didn’t troubled Watford. But tellingly, a team that is the worst in the division for creation of chances, managed nine shots. Carvalhal got men in the box, tried to attack instead of condemning his side to waiting for opposition goals to go in. Perhaps most impressive was how he changed the game with his substitutions. Narsingh came on at half-time and scored the winner. Oli McBurnie came on after 57 minutes and made the equaliser for Ayew. Dyer came on with 10 to play and Narsingh buried the rebound from his drive. All three changes played a part in a fourth win in 21 games. But perspective is needed. One smash-andgrab win at a team with its own problems is not necessarily a turning point. In his own unique way, Carvalhal (left) got that across, saying: ‘Because we won one game, we are not in paradise, with the birds and flowers.’ Very true. But they are making progress.