WHAT A CARV-UP
Shock victory is just the job for Swans boss Carlos
CARLOS CARVALHAL was too busy fielding job offers to celebrate Christmas.
The Portuguese only needed two training sessions – and a half-time rollocking – to mastermind this comeback win over slumping Watford.
Sacked on Christmas Eve by Sheffield Wednesday, Carvalhal was quickly back in a job when Swansea sprung a surprise by appointing him a few days later.
And after going behind to Andre Carrillo’s early opener his side responded to a half-time dressing down, so loud you could hear it in the corridor, to snatch a vital win.
Jordan Ayew and Luciano Narsingh scored the goals, two in four frantic minutes late on, to give the Swans only their fourth win in 21 games.
Agreed
Carvalhal said: “Christmas was a little strange. I was in Sheffield with my wife and son. I used a lot of the phone that night. We live in the global world at this moment.
“I received calls to work from Japan, Turkey, the United States and other countries far away, as well as England. It was a strange day because I was on the phone a lot. But that is the life.
“We are professionals. We agreed on Wednesday night and it was thought I would watch the games against Watford and Tottenham and then start working with the team next week.
“But I said exactly the opposite. I said I wanted to go to Swansea the next morning to prepare the team.
“We got up at 4am and travelled to be with the players at training on Thursday, because time is our enemy at the moment.
“We worked hard in those two days to analyse and give confidence to the players. We explained to them exactly what we want. It was an important small step in a very difficult job in hand. Transfers? I haven’t even had time to call home to my family!
“This moment, as you understand, it is a new club, you check your players one by one, the previous game, prepare the game, analyse Watford, everything in 48 hours.”
Goalscorer Ayew admitted his new manager’s half-time rant helped inspire their comeback.
Ayew said: “He was vocal because we were not winning enough duels, we were not aggressive enough.
“He told us to win our duels first and then play our football. In the second half that’s what we did.”
Watford were cruising after Carrillo’s early opener but failed to kill the game off.
They have now taken just four points from 24 and midfielder Ben Watson said: “I don’t know how we lost it. We were in control, didn’t kill the game off and got punished.
“It’s not the first time this season we have paid the price. If you don’t finish teams off, they are always in the game.
“We will go over things and we are gutted. But that’s the Premier League and we have to bounce back. We will learn from it and learn from this quickly.” SWANSEA defender Kyle Naughton has been banned for three games after accepting a charge of violent conduct for stamping on Watford’s Stefano Okaka.