We must show we can handle loss of Llorente – Clement

PAUL Clement wants to see his Swansea City side show they can adapt and vary their play to cope without Fernando Llorente when title-chasing Tottenham visit the Liberty Stadium tonight.

Llorente, Swansea’s top scorer with 11 goals to his name, is unlikely to start against Mauricio Pochettino’s men and is struggling to even make the bench as he recovers from an ankle injury.

The Spaniard missed the goalless draw with Middlesbrough on Sunday, a game which rammed home how important his presence has become.

Without the 32-year-old’s physicality and aerial ability, Swansea’s delivery of a near 50 crosses into the Boro penalty area came to nothing.

Jordan Ayew started in Llorente’s place, but his lack of height at 5ft 11in meant he had little chance of reaching many of the balls into the box.

There were signs of Swansea adapting, with Leroy Fer producing one clever cutback that nearly ended with Tom Carroll dispatching a 25-yard shot into the net.

But, on the whole, the Swans tended to plough a similar furrow to that seen when Llorente leads the line.

Clement could choose to stick with Ayew – and seemed to hint he would do so – or look to one of Borja Baston, Oli McBurnie or Gylfi Sigurdsson to start up top.

But, whoever fills the role, he expects to see more variation in the home side’s play against a Spurs side who will fancy their chances of opening up the title race following Chelsea’s defeat to Crystal Palace.

“I think we have to vary the game more. When you put in a cross for someone like Llorente, he can cause havoc on his own. With Jordan you have to get more bodies in the box to level of performance on the back of wins over Burnley and Southampton.

But he knows Tottenham will be targeting all three points after being offered a glimmer of a title shot at the weekend, and believes the pressure and expectation that will bring could be something Swansea can exploit.

“Before every press conference our media manager, Jonathan Wilsher, says ‘have you seen our record against this team and that team?’. It always seems to be bad!

“But some extraordinary things can happen in football. We just have to focus on being positive and doing your best. There is pressure on Tottenham too. This is a game where they’ll be thinking if they want to be champions they have to go to Swansea and win.

“It possibly will give us some chances. The Middlesbrough game was a cagey one, there was a lot at stake and there was a lot of tension.

“I think this will be different. It will be more open and we have just got to be careful not to be too open, playing against a really good offensive side.

“We have got to defend well, be compact and solid but hope the spaces open up for us to create some opportunities for ourselves.

“We know they like to use their full-backs as an offensive weapon, it will be an important area as it is a big feature of our play too so that will be a real battle.

“We have really athletic full-backs of our own. it was good for us to have Martin Olsson and Kyle Naughton back fit and getting through 90 minutes and they will be that much fitter and more confident as a result going into this game.

“It won’t be easy coming here, that’s for sure.”