Swans back in real danger after a Sunday stalemate
SWANSEA City and Paul Clement look set for a nerve-shredding Premier League run-in after a goalless draw against Middlesbrough that did little for either side’s hopes of avoiding the drop.
The result means the Swans are a solitary point above the drop zone ahead of title-chasing Tottenham’s visit to the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday night.
Swansea will find themselves back in the bottom three if they fail to beat Spurs and Hull manage to get the better of Boro at the KCOM Stadium.
They have now gone three games without a win since victory over Burnley last month, which had left them five points clear of trouble.
But now they find themselves right in the thick of it after failing to find the cutting edge to see off a limited, but determined, Boro effort.
Gylfi Sigurdsson twice went close from distance and replays suggested the Iceland international should have won a penalty after Adam Forshaw’s hand deflected his free-kick wide of the target.
Leroy Fer spurned a great chance during the closing stages as head coach Clement elected not to make a single substitution as they toiled for an opening, marking the first time Swansea had started and finished a Premier League game with the same XI on the field.
Fernando Llorente was not among them after he failed to shake off a knock picked up in training in midweek, with Jordan Ayew performing gamely in his place without ever threatening to make the sort of match-winning contributions seen from the World Cup winner since Clement took the helm,
Swansea’s remaining home games are all against sides currently in the top-half of the Premier League table and, after taking just four points from a run of four games widely viewed as critical to survival, the former Bayern Munich assistant knows how important it is for his side to get back to winning ways.
“We know we have to win games, something we have not managed to do in the last three,” said Clement.
“We put a point on the board when we wanted three, and we won’t know until the end of the season how valuable or not it will be.
“I feel positive about the attitude of the players and we gave everything. There was some nervousness from players and supporters which is normal when there is a lot at stake and lot of pressure. But we have to deal with that and we have lots of opportunities to pick up valuable points. Why not on Wednesday night? We know we need an upturn.”
Llorente missed out against Boro with an ankle injury and the Spaniard looks to be facing a race against time to prove his fitness ahead of the midweek clash with Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
The 32-year-old is Swansea’s top scorer with 11 Premier League goals, and they will not want to be without his physicality or finishing prowess again.
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