Home   >   Previews   >   20 teams in 20 days – Swansea City

20 teams in 20 days – Swansea City

By on August 15, 2014

Manager: Garry Monk
Stadium: Liberty Stadium
Nickname: The Swans
Finish Last Season: 12th

Garry Monk still has a lot to prove. Only in February did he become a manager, after Michael Laudrup was sacked by Swansea. It was quite the odd sacking, which Laudrup himself described as “silly”, considering the club was comftorably mid-table at the time, still in the FA Cup, and in the middle of their first ever Europa League campaign. The only reason why the club seemed to sack Laudrup was that they wanted Monk in the management system. The center-back was only 34-years-old at the time, with no previous managerial experience. Granted, he was a long term veteran at the club, yet it still was an almost suspicious move. Monk is still one of the youngest ever Premier League managers.

Monk didn’t exactly impress immediately, either. He won just one of his first seven league matches in charge as a player-manager, and didn’t even lead the club up to where Laudrup left them, finishing 12th. And it is just getting tougher for Swansea; top flight opponents are figuring out how to play against them.

Monk brought in some steel to the flowing trademark Spanish style play Laudrup had implemented, and has thus far done well in the transfer market. Gylfi Sigurdsson has been brought in to replace Michu, who was loaned out to Swansea, while they signed Bafetimbi Gomis to pair with the very impressive Wilfried Bony, who scored 16 goals in just 34 matches for The Swans last season and Monk has so far managed to hold onto. Ashley WIlliams has also stayed at the club, while Jefferson Montero, the Colombian who featured in the South American side’s World Cup campaign, signed for the club as well. This coming season Swansea only seem to be a better side. They lost a few key players in Michel Vorm and Pablo Hernandez, but both were more than adequately replaced as Lukasz Fabianski joined on a free transfer. Jonjo Shelvy will also star in the midfield after a convincing 2013/2014 campaign, alongside Wayne Routledge. Last season the club was one of the most defensively sound, and while youngster Ben Davis left for Tottenham Hotspur, the Spanish center-back Jordi Amat might have his breakthrough season this year. Nathan Dyer will also star on the wing – providing pace to Swansea’s starting 11.

Monk is an inexperienced manager but he has a quality bunch to work with. If Sigurdsson and Bony can mesh together well and Montero possibly show the form he did at the World Cup, a slight improvement on their 12th place finish might be in order, along with an extended cup run if they can focus some energy away from the league being comfortably mid-table. Laudrup’s sacking was controversial, but Monk can still prove Swansea made the right decision.

Full Fixture List:
August 16: Manchester United (A)
August 23: Burnley (H)
August 30: West Bromwich Albion (H)
September 13: Chelsea (A)
September 20: Southampton (H)
September 27: Sunderland (A)
October 04: Newcastle United (H)
October 18: Stoke City (A)
October 25: Leicester City (H)
November 1: Everton (A)
November 8: Arsenal (H)
November 22: Manchester City (A)
November 29: Crystal Palace (H)
December 2: Queens Park Rangers (H)
December 6: West Ham United (A)
December 13: Tottenham Hotspur (H)
December 20: Hull City (A)
December 26: Aston Villa (H)
December 28: Liverpool (A)
January 1: Queens Park Rangers (A)
January 10: West Ham United (H)
January 17: Chelsea (H)
January 31: Southampton (A)
February 07: Sunderland (H)
February 10: West Bromwich Albion (A)
February 21: Manchester United (H)
February 28: Burnley (A)
March 4: Tottenham Hotspur (A)
March 14: Liverpool (H)
March 21: Aston Villa (A)
April 4: Hull City (H)
April 11: Everton (H)
April 18: Leicester City (A)
April 25: Newcastle United (A)
May 2: Stoke City (H)
May 9: Arsenal (A)
May 16: Manchester City (H)
May 24: Crystal Palace (A)

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.