Worrying times for Swans look to be running on empty

Cooper as

SWANSEA City’s automatic promotion charge practically ended last weekend, now they need to make sure their play-off hopes don’t suffer a similar fate.

The Swans have been hot on the heels of the top two throughout the season but a poor run has left them 10 points off in-form, second-placed Watford.

The Swans still have a game in hand over the Hornets and travel to Vicarage Road on the final day of the season so overtaking Xisco Muñoz’s side is not entirely beyond the realms of possibility. However the circumstances surrounding recent matches have been so dispiriting, fans seem to have all but given up on the idea of catching Watford.

The Swans are now looking down at the chasing pack, rather than up at the sides above them.

They have lost four consecutive games for the first time since their final weeks as a Premier League side, back in 2018. That was also the last time they went four league games without scoring but that record has also unfortunately been emulated this week.

Supporters who have not managed to block those miserable days from their memories will remember the end of that 2017-18 campaign as a monumental collapse. The Swans threw away a position of relative security, paying a hefty price for taking their foot off the pedal.

There are fears another dramatic collapse this season could end up costing Swansea a play-off spot which looked to be in the bag.

The last four defeats have been grim and not just because of the scorelines.

The first of these losses, a 3-0 hammering away at Bournemouth, was disappointing but the Cherries were strong on the night and have been in fine form of late. The same cannot be said of the other three sides the Swans have faced since then.

Cardiff City were certainly spirited and resolute in their derby day victory, putting in a fine defensive display but that was the Bluebirds’ only win in their last six games, so they are hardly world-beaters.

Losing to Cardiff was tough to take but at least Swansea played with a degree of energy and desire in that game, even if they lacked quality at key moments. The Easter doubleheader against Birmingham City and Preston North End was much more miserable.

The Blues had the worst home record in the division but the Swans very rarely troubled them. They looked haggard and misshapen, lacking creativity, focus and energy.

Steve Cooper changed formation and personnel against Preston but the performance was once again insipid. They never looked like scoring, with their attacking strategy looking desperate and unimaginative. Swansea were consistently stretched at the back and even against an out of form Preston, they looked second best.

These were wretched displays, devoid of any positives, but they didn’t magically appear out of thin air.

Ever since the phenomenal 2-0 victory over Norwich at the start of February, Swansea’s performances have been seriously poor, lacking the solidity, accuracy and vigour which characterised the rest of their season.

They have picked up 16 points since that Norwich victory but rarely looked convincing in any of these games. Their luck was bound to run out at some point and that is exactly what we have seen over recent weeks.

There are many reasons why Swansea’s play has deteriorated so dramatically.

Their top creators this season have been wing-backs but they have struggled to get the likes of Connor Roberts as involved in attacks lately. On top of this, strikers have not been getting into scoring positions, which clearly does not help.

The Swans’ midfield has often looked unbalanced and ever since that win over Norwich, their midfielders have seriously struggled to build attacks. Swansea’s passing against the likes of Birmingham and Preston has also been seriously loose.

At the back they are nowhere near as ruthless or disciplined as they were for the first five months of the campaign and mistakes have become a regular feature.

Steve Cooper has a mountain of issues to deal with but so many of them boil down to tiredness.

The Swans’ style has been criticised at times but it was highly effective for most of this season.

The back five gave Freddie Woodman outstanding protection while a solid midfield suffocated the opposition’s build-up play. The non-stop running of the wing-backs offered a consistent attacking outlet and the industrious strike partnership of Jamal Lowe and Andre Ayew would harass defenders and pitch in with a steady supply of goals.

It was not always entertaining but it was so difficult to play against. However this system required a lot of energy and that’s become a problem because energy is by now a rare commodity.

The brutal season has finally taken its toll and there’s very little fuel left in the engine. A squad which saw comparatively little rotation prior to the current poor run of form is now running on empty.

Tiredness doesn’t just affect players physically, it also impacts their decision-making and speed of thought. It affects every aspect of play, including player confidence. It’s also not something which can be repaired quickly with a change of tactics or the boost of a good result.

Swansea are by no means the only team battered by fatigue. The absurd Championship schedule has left a number of clubs short of breath but few teams are struggling as much as the Swans right now.

The most worrying thing about Swansea’s recent troubles is that there is no obvious solution.

Tiredness has ravaged this squad and there is no queue of quality replacements, ready to freshen things up. Some fans had called for a change of formation but when Cooper mixed things up against Preston, it had little impact which is hardly surprising because 5-3-2 is the only system which has worked consistently in Cooper’s time as Swansea manager.

The players seem to have lost belief in their own ability and with Swansea’s fixture list getting tougher over the coming weeks, it’s difficult to see how they turn this around.

The Swans remain fourth in the table but they are only four points above seventh placed Bournemouth. The way Swansea are playing right now, that buffer could rapidly disappear.

I would love to offer some causes for optimism right now but it’s hard to find any.

Swansea are running out of steam at the worst possible time and their grip on a play-off spot feels decidedly loose.