An oasis of calm in unrelenting season
TREKKING across the vast Sahara Desert for days on end, weary adventurers eventually spot something in the distance.
They approach it with caution before realising their initial assertions were correct and this is indeed a rare oasis.
After dismounting their camels they crawl towards the palm tree-lined pond, cup their hands and lift the water to their parched lips. The greatest relief imaginable washes over them as their desperate thirst is quenched.
This is how I imagine Swansea’s squad felt as we finally reached the international break.
This entire season has been an almighty slog.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the previous Swans campaign only ended in late July. Clubs would usually have around three months to recoup, refresh and prepare to go again but this year they had little more than a month’s rest.
In a daring attempt to get the football calendar back to normal as quickly as possible, the EFL remained determined to end the 2020-21 season in May and that meant shortening it by more than a month while playing exactly the same amount of games.
Even under normal circumstances the Championship is a seriously punishing league.
Squeezing those 46 league games into an even shorter time frame, on top of the usual cup commitments, was always going to put a disproportionate pressure on squads. Drawing up this kind of schedule without giving teams enough time for a proper pre-season was always likely to end in burnout.
That’s what we have seen at Swansea over the last few weeks. Considering Swansea have rotated their squad less than almost any other side in the division, it’s a miracle this hasn’t happened earlier but it has certainly affected their recent displays.
Their form has been ropey since their fantastic 2-0 victory over champions-elect Norwich at the start of February and performances have been considerably worse.
The usual energy, focus and solidity has been in short supply meaning goals have been flying it at the wrong end of the pitch, while opposition goal-keepers have an easy ride at the other.
Half of all Swansea’s league defeats this season have come in their last nine games and nearly half of all the league goals they’ve conceded have also been shipped in the last month and a half.
Many of these goals have been scored through uncharacteristic mistakes, the types which Swansea simply weren’t committing previously. The Swans have been gifting more possession and space to the opposition in dangerous areas and their marking has become slack.
On the attacking front,
Swansea have struggled to create chances in many matches and strikers have found the going tough.
Attributing all of this to fatigue would let Steve Cooper’s side off the hook a bit too easily but it does not take a genius to see that this Swansea side has looked very tired. This physical and mental tiredness has clearly impacted their performances.
Unfortunately Swansea’s game plan relies on hard work and high energy. As the legs let up, the system breaks down.
Tiredness is a horrible foe because once it sets in, you can’t really run it off. It’s also horrible because it’s something fans often mistake for a lack of effort which is unfair.
Cooper’s men are clearly trying their hardest but in many cases their bodies seem to be holding them back. They are unable to play at full capacity because the schedule has finally caught up with them.
Since the last international break back in November, Swansea have averaged a game every four days. The average in a normal season is a game every six days. Over a long period of time that is bound to take its toll.
Players simply do not have the time matches.
Of course the Swans are not alone in this respect. Every club in the Championship has to play 46 games in eight months but some squads are better prepared for this challenge than others.
Swansea have used 27 players in total this season. Norwich have used 30 while Watford have used 33.
Swansea have four players who have played more than 3,000 minutes for their clubs this season as opposed to just three for Norwich and none for Watford.
These clubs have sizeable squads with a depth of quality which enables them to rotate on a regular basis, meaning their players have looked much fresher lately.
Swansea fans have watched as their team battled, scraped and often fluked their way to results while fatigue took over. We have all been looking forward to this international break.
This will be their last chance to rest and recuperate before the summer and having fallen six points outside the automatic promotion spots, they need to make it count.
This is a critical point in Swansea’s season. Fans are hoping two weeks of down time can replenish the fuel tank and get them ready for the final stages of their promotion push.
We all know what Swansea are capable of when they’re at their best but in order to hit those high standards, every player needs to be ready for the fight. Hopefully they can capitalise on this welcome break and return to action over Easter, ready for that final push. to recover after