Swansea’s 18th place belies their talent.
This Swansea City side, who, albeit with Wilfried Bony, acheived an 8th placed finish last season, have looked strangely pedestrian and bereft of impetus this season. Their sluggishness, which crept in quietly and insipidly, eventually meant the end for Garry Monk, and now, with any and all potential future managers watching on, the team from Wales had an opportunity to kick-start themselves back into life. Their opponents, a West Ham team still wracked by injury, were unlikely to offer any sustained scoring threat, and would allow their hosts all the possession they wanted. Like a painter standing in front of a blank canvas, a world of infinite potential offered itself, willing and ready to play along. But blank canvases can stay that way if the artist can only draw a blank himself, and there were few genuine chances for Swansea in the opening 45 minutes.
The second half was more of the same, really, with more possession and a growing sense of hackneyed inevitability. West Ham allowed Swansea all the territory they required to break them down, but too often offsides and wayward final balls ruined their dominant periods. Listlessness remains, and the new manager, whoever he is, will have to bring some powerful smelling salts with him.
Swansea end a run of 10 PL games without a clean sheet, but go into Christmas in the relegation zone pic.twitter.com/9YgYyeq2hL
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) December 20, 2015
