IT’S THE LAW OF AVERAGES FOR SWANS AS POOR DISPLAY PROVES COSTLY

SWANSEA City have too big a battle on their hands to get away with being average.

And yet too many players were that at best at Bournemouth – and so the battle becomes even tougher.

Swansea’s situation – one place and three points off the bottom three – can be seen as healthier than the one before Paul Clement arrived as manager. The side entered 2017 beaten by Bournemouth and four points adrift at the bottom.

Yet, with nine games remaining, the room for error is minuscule – and there were errors everywhere on the south coast.

It wasn’t a performance, like that last defeat to the Cherries on New Year’s Eve, that screamed out real trouble and suggested there was no way out of the relegation-shaped hole they had created for themselves.

But it was a display that reminded that Clement needs to wring out the best out of his players for this final push, because average just won’t do.

Too many players did not rise to the challenge of taking on a rival for survival. Too many players were loose on the ball. Too many players switched off at key times. Too many players were inaccurate with what they were doing. Too many to give them any hope of victory, especially once the hosts had their lead after an Alfie Mawson own goal 31 minutes in.

Even if Benik Afobe made sure of the result with 18 minutes remaining, the disjointed, disappointing – perhaps even disinterested in some cases – second-half showing rarely suggested there was a way back.

This was not a disastrous display. Indeed, a bit of fortune at key times here and that may have made the difference. A better connection to a Gylfi Sigurdsson set-piece here, a long overdue decision from a referee there. When Mawson tried to stop Afobe’s shot, it is perhaps the luck of Clement’s side right now that it sliced past Lukasz Fabianski rather than go wide of the posts.

It could even be claimed that Swansea could consider themselves unlucky to be behind at that stage, but over the 90 minutes it was just too average to argue.

There were plenty guilty of it. While Leroy Fer could be happy enough with his efforts to deputise at right back, there were others at the back who dropped below the levels needed to get out of trouble. Federico Fernandez again suffered rushes of blood to his head, losing his sense of positioning – as he did at Hull – and helping Bournemouth to that key opening chance.

With Mawson also below his best though still showing some flashes of defensive quality, it didn’t look like a partnership ready to frustrate all comers in these final games.

Stephen Kingsley disappointed in place of the much-missed Martin Olsson, not offering the same zip down the flank nor finding a man with any of his deliveries.

Fernando Llorente didn’t look like the confident, dominant centre-forward of late, perhaps still carrying that dead leg problem, and becoming more and more frustrated and isolated. As did Sigurdsson.

And while Tom Carroll was busy and looked to involve himself, Jack Cork was sloppy on and off the ball – one weak challenge seeing Afobe played in for the 72nd minute second – and Ki Sung-Yueng ponderous on his return to the side.

They looked short of the confidence that has surged through, mistakes coming as a result, and Clement knew it. He admitted the opener “knocked the wind out of our sails” and that levels dropped as a result, something that – to their credit – has happened nowhere near as often and as obviously as it was before his arrival.

The belief drained and the rank average followed.

Swansea ran out of steam and ideas, Clement’s changes – in tactics and personnel – had little impact. It was all just a little too average, from the hopeful balls trying to get behind a Bournemouth defence who started nervously but were not exposed. When balls dropped kindly on the edge of the box, the accuracy of technique was not good enough.

Granted, it would have helped had one well-connected volley from Carroll was not blocked by Marc Pugh’s hand as it was in the first-half with the scores level. Mike Dean performed his exaggerated hand gestures to signify no penalty and so a perhaps pivotal moment passed.

But Swansea have to look after themselves first and foremost, raise themselves back to levels of late and make the most of their five remaining home games where they have not looked average at all under Clement.

Swansea didn’t do enough to win here but simply must not find themselves repeating such mistakes when it matters more at the Liberty.

Clement will appreciate the chance to rest and regroup during the international break, and must find a way to use the pressure to Swansea’s advantage as they did against Burnley and Leicester. But there will be no getting away from the fact that Swansea can’t get away with being below their best – or there will be no getting away from this relegation worry.