Carvalhal puts his soul into revival bid

CARLOS CARVALHAL was pictured on the front page of the programme with a big grin on his face.

How his heart must have leapt last night when Alfie Mawson’s goal sent Swansea in with a halftime lead and soul legend Curtis Mayfield’s Move On Up played on the Liberty Stadium’s PA system.

How proud he felt puffing out his cheeks at the final whistle after an epic win over Liverpool.

It does not feel as if Carvalhal (below) has had much to smile about as the Swans sit bottom of the Premier League.

But you would not know that from Carvalhal’s upbeat programme notes.

“Since I arrived three weeks ago, we have four points from two away games and a decent performance against Tottenham in the Premier League,” he wrote. “We have moved things around and changed the formation and I think people can see we are progressing. We are playing better, with more confidence and a better dynamic.”

Before Liverpool pitched up, Swansea had won at Watford, lost to Spurs and drawn at Newcastle since the Portuguese took charge which, in normal circumstances, would be seen as a decent return.

The problem is Swansea remain in peril.

They might not need a miracle now to move out of relegation trouble but time is ticking away on the Welsh club’s seven-year stint in the top flight.

You almost feel they appointed Carvalhal as manager with half an eye on the Championship where he has experience with his previous club Sheffield Wednesday.

Paul Clement kept them up against all the odds last term but they are in danger of running out of lives. And that would be a shame because Swansea play nice football, the Liberty is so welcoming and they give every smaller club a bit of hope.