Swansea ‘must take their frustrations out onWest Ham’
PAUL Clement has revealed how Swansea City’s players allowed their frustrations to boil over in training this week, and he wants them to take their anger out on West Ham tomorrow.
The head coach and his squad had two days off to stew on the manner of their miserable defeat to Watford.
A woeful first 45 minutes as an overly-cautious home side surrendered the initiative and control to a Hornets side, who had been hammered 6-0 by Manchester City in their previous outing.
A tactical reshuffle by Clement, going from 5-3-2 to a midfield diamond, and the introductions of Tammy Abraham and Roque Mesa sparked a revival, but the Swans were eventually sunk by Richarlison’s lastgasp winner.
Clement accepted his share of the blame for the disappointing loss and could barely contain his annoyance at the errors made by himself and his players.
They were feelings he struggled to shake before the Swans returned to training on Tuesday, and it turns out his players had also been dwelling on similar emotions.
“I was very frustrated because I know I can do better and, more importantly, the players can do much better,” said Clement.
“It was an angry dressing room and the two sessions we held on Tuesday were fiery, but in a good way.
“We got some of that frustration out and now we have to put it aside and move one.
“There was a bit of niggle, some edge and some good competition and we need that.
“We have got to show that on Saturday from the first moment, we allowed Watford to take the initiative last weekend.
“They did not create a massive amount of chances, they kept the ball well, but the goal came from a mistake by us.
“We were open and it as a gift, as was the second goal.
“I don’t think there was much difference between the sides, but we made more mistakes than they did.
“It is important, if you want to play well on the weekend you have got to train how you play.
“You cannot go through the motions during the week and then expect to roll a team over on the weekend.
“It is vital and I have experienced the difference it makes at previous clubs I have worked at.”
The success Clement tasted at the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, PSG and Chelsea would suggest there was no shortage of an underlying mean streak.
And the 45-year-old admits it is his time at Stamford Bridge which stands out in that regard, with members of the coaching staff looking to avoid taking charge of inter-squad games in training because they well knew what lay in store for them with the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard unwilling to give best to anyone.
But it was a quality that made all the difference when game day came around.
“Chelsea were the stand-out on that front. Every day there was an edge, it was actually quite uncomfortable at times because you knew if you were taking charge of a game or a session there was potential for conflict,” said Clement.
“There were some real competitors against each other, you just knew the week would be difficult but life was a lot easier come the weekend.
“But I would take that every time if it meant you got a performance, and we usually did at Chelsea.
“That spirit makes life easier, you don’t want an easy week and a hard weekend. You want a hard week and an easier weekend, because playing at this level is never easy for us.
“It is fine margins but if we have that tension it training it will help.
“There would be tackles flying in and pressure to get the decisions right because it meant so much to the players to beat each other in training. What a great quality that is to have.
“It’s a healthy competition and the importance of being competitive in training will be beneficial.”
Swansea’s trip to the London Stadium last term ended in a 1-0 defeat during an iffy run of form that threatened to condemn them to life in the Championship.
But they would eventually escape the drop by taking 13 points from 15 to overhaul Hull.
Swansea’s spirit and attitude were spot on during that crunch period, and Clement knows there is a need to rediscover those qualities as soon as possible.
“The mentality should be that whatever the game, we have to fight and give our best and leave nothing out there,” said Clement.
“We give everything we have, and we showed that mentality over the final five games of the season and during the first few games after I arrived. We need to recapture it this season.
“Every game I want us to click, I want us to click Saturday. That is it.
“Preparation has been good and I see no reason why we cannot play well.
“They are worse off than us we have to go there with confidence and belief.
“There has not been a game where I have felt comfortable since I arrived because the margin for error is very fine.
“We lost by one goal against Newcastle and Watford. The wins and losses last season were always tight.”