Cup run could provide the springboard Swans need
IF the goalless draw at Molineux was the result no-one wanted, then this FA Cup third-round replay is the game no-one wanted.
Swansea City, languishing at the foot of the Premier League table, will view survival as their only priority over the remainder of this season.
Wolves, with a 10-point lead over their nearest rivals in the Championship, will view ensuring they return to the top flight as their main target between now and May.
But momentum in football does not respect where one tournament begins and another ends. Victories and positive performances are valuable in any context.
So, while the Liberty may not be full – a prospect only increased by an unpopular alteration to booking fee charges in response to new legislation which has angered many supporters – there is still plenty at stake for Carlos Carvalhal and his men.
The 52-year-old has not necessarily had a dream start in his new job, but Swansea have lost just once in his four games at the helm so far and that was against an in-form Tottenham on a night where his side played arguably their best 45 minutes of the season to date – either before or since his arrival.
The last time Swansea went through a four-game sequence and suffered just LIBERTY STADIUM 7.45pm SWANSEA CITY v WOLVES one defeat was back between the end of August and September, a period which feels like it occurred far longer than four months ago so wretched has much of this season been.
So, finding a way past Nuno Espirito Santo’s men – described as “Barcelona in disguise” by Kyle Bartley after the original tie – would ensure Swansea go into daunting home games with Liverpool and Arsenal with something to build on amid signs of at least shifting the losing habit that has shattered brittle confidence at times this season.
“We will try to do our best, we want to do the best for our club,” said Carvalhal.
“We will not take risks with players, but we want to win this game.
“We want to go to the next round of this competition, this is what I want.
“We are making some progress, I can see it in these four games.
“We have a lot of hard work to do, but we have started to win points and play better, especially offensively.
“The confidence is growing and that is very important and we want to keep it going.”
Carvalhal has indicated he will again make changes for the cup. He will have Kyle Naughton back from suspension as an option at right-back and the likes of Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Leroy Fer, Roque Mesa and Wayne Routledge may well find themselves in the starting line-up.
Some of those players experienced mixed fortunes at Molineux; for those who struggled this will mark an extra opportunity to make their case to Carvalhal at a time when surely Swansea have to be close to making additions to their squad.
There will be just 13 Premier League fixtures remaining once those Liverpool and Arsenal games are in the book.
Time is ticking down and Swansea do not have it to waste when it comes to strengthening this squad and giving the new man at the helm a fighting chance of providing an eighth season of Premier League football in SA1.
The reward for the victors tonight is a fourth-round trip to League Two promotion hopefuls Notts County, and the genuine chance of progress to the fifth round, the last-16 stage.
Cup form may not count towards league points and places directly, but there is evidence to suggest that wins and progression in the knock-out format can feed into improved form elsewhere.
One example would be Stoke’s run to the final in 2011. During the early rounds of the cup, the Potters had fallen perilously close to the relegation zone. As they racked up victories on the way to Wembley, so their league form picked up with it and they would go on to finish 13th with a margin of seven points over the bottom three.
“I will make changes for sure, our main competition is the Premier League,” said Carvalhal.
“We respect the cup and we respect Wolves and we need to give some time to the players who are coming back from injuries.
“But it is also a chance for us to keep progressing, to keep improving and to play.
“It is normal we will make changes, we are still looking to these players and we know what we need from them.
“We try to give them all a chance and I have no problem doing that. These games are good for that.”
No-one would imagine a trip to Wembley is going to be on Swansea’s agenda just yet, but taking a step in the direction of the showpiece occasion may have benefits that go beyond simply securing a trip to Meadow Lane.