Work for Swans to do after opening-day defeat - just like last year

BBC News

3 days ago

There may have been a feeling of deja vu for the 685 travelling fans at the Riverside on Saturday.Swansea City have a different head coach, director of football, chief executive and ownership group compared to the opening day of last season.But once again the Welsh club started their Championship campaign with a trip to Middlesbrough – and once again they were beaten 1-0.This was a different type of contest. Last year, Luke Williams' Swansea side had almost 64% of possession on the opening day, yet it was Boro who deserved the points having managed 18 shots compared to only five from the visitors.This time around, Boro had 53.5% of the ball but just six efforts on goal compared to Swansea's three.In truth, this weekend's trip to Teesside was a forgettable one, with Sheehan's team looking reasonably solid defensively but short of attacking quality.It was a similar story for Middlesbrough, who could not have grumbled too much had the game finished goalless. It was that sort of match.
An away draw would have represented a decent start to the season for Swansea.But even a battling point would not have masked the fact that Sheehan's side need to be much better going forward if they are to maintain their springtime momentum in the early weeks of the new campaign.As was the case 12 months ago, it is obvious Swansea's squad is lacking in certain areas.But the failure to threaten a Boro side who also look like a work in progress cannot simply be put down to the need for further new recruits.Those players already on the books must produce more than this.The hope for Sheehan must be that after a disrupted pre-season for a number of his forward players, greater match sharpness will bring greater menace in the final third.