A solid case for the defence!
SWANSEA City had the youngest defence in the Championship on the opening day but it’s likely to become one of the division’s strongest.
Not only did Swansea kick off their league campaign with a win against Preston last weekend, they also secured their first clean sheet of the season.
Fans hope it will be the first of many and there are plenty of reasons to believe the Swans’ defence can have a great season.
Centre-backs Joe Rodon, Marc Guehi and Ben Cabango had played just 14 minutes together before last week’s victory at Deepdale but you would never have guessed that by watching their rock-solid performance against Preston.
The home side managed just six attempts all game and only one of those was on target, meaning goalkeeper Freddie Woodman could enjoy a very quiet afternoon.
Preston never looked like scoring and that was largely down to the three centre-backs who had an average age of just 21.
Rodon, Guehi and Cabango seemed to have struck up an instant understanding, remaining composed and organised throughout. They were compact, strong in the tackle, imperious in the air and never lost focus.
This should not come as much of a surprise. Rodon has been consistently excellent since making his first team debut two years ago. He is by now widely recognised as one of the best defenders outside the Premier League, an all-rounder with good feet to match his defensive intelligence, fantastic heading ability and superb athleticism.
Cabango, much like Rodon, took to the Championship like a duck to water and has proven himself to be a highly dependable figure at the heart of defence, recently earning his first Welsh cap.
On-loan Chelsea youngster Guehi was one of the shining stars in Swansea’s post-lockdown upturn in form, his dominant defensive displays a key factor in Swansea’s late surge to the play-offs.
Put those three together and you have a seriously formidable centreback partnership.
There is more to a good defence than just the centre-backs.
Connor Roberts and Jake Bidwell are both enjoying life in their new roles as wing-backs. They’re clearly loving the freedom to get forward and play their part in Swansea’s attacks.
Bidwell was among Swansea’s biggest threats last week, seeing a goal disallowed before providing a measured assist for Morgan Gibbswhite’s winner and very nearly doubling the Swans’ lead with a header which narrowly cleared the crossbar.
Their attacking contributions are clear for all to see but they have not neglected their defensive responsibilities and both men got stuck in during the final stages of the Preston victory.
The midfield also played its part in the defensive effort, working hard to provide extra protection for the back five.
The ease with which Swansea kept Preston quiet was very encouraging and bodes well for the rest of the season.
Swansea’s defensive record was very respectable last season but there was room for improvement. The Swans kept 13 clean sheets, the ninth highest in the Championship. They conceded 1.2 goals per game on average during the regular season, only six sides conceded fewer.
Just like this season, the Swans had one of the strongest defences in the league on paper during the 201920 campaign.
They had all the defenders we have already mentioned as well as Kyle Naughton, who made 20 appearances in all competitions and will continue to provide competition for starting spots this year. They also had Mike van der Hoorn and onloan Watford centre-back Ben Wilmot so there was no shortage of high-quality options for Steve Cooper.
Unfortunately for much of last season it was difficult for the manager to pick a settled defence. Injuries regularly sidelined defenders, meaning van der Hoorn was the only centre-back to feature in more than half of Swansea’s league fixtures last season although he still missed 18 of Swansea’s regular season matches.
If they can keep their best defenders fit and healthy, and keep hold of them during transfer windows, the Swans will have one of the very best defences in the Championship.
The Swans’ attack struggled at times last season and with the loss of Rhian Brewster and Conor Gallagher, there is a chance goal-scoring could become an issue. But if the defence can do its job and keep clean sheets on a regular basis, it considerably eases the pressure on those playing further forward.
Leeds’s fantastic football earned them plenty of plaudits last season as they were crowned champions but their goal tally was just four higher than the previous season when they missed out on promotion. The big difference was their defence which conceded just 35 goals, one of the lowest totals since the turn of the millennium.
Cardiff City showed in 2018 that teams do not necessarily need to score a hatful of goals every game to go up. They scored just 1.5 goals per game but it was enough to clinch promotion because they conceded just 39 all season.
A solid defence gives the rest of the team far less to do in order to win games.
Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson famously said: “attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.”
It’s too early to say with any certainty where in the table Swansea will be challenging this season but this robust rearguard enables them to pick up points against any team in the division.
Championship strikers will have to work extra hard to get any joy against the likes of Rodon, Guehi and Cabango this season.