It was a painful start for Vitor Matos in his first game as Swansea City manager, with the Swans losing 2-1 to Derby County at the Swansea.com Stadium. Matos replaced the departing Alan Sheehan after leaving Maritimo. Yet, he was dealt a tough hand with little time to prepare, holding just two training sessions before the game. The squad has faced a difficult beginning to the season, languishing in 20th place League. Only four points separate them from the drop zone.
The difficulty is perhaps best illustrated from the very start as Swansea fell to their fourth straight league defeat. The pressure will certainly build on Matos as he looks to have a complete about-face of the club’s fortunes. His recent appointment is a timely one, with the team continuing to miss the mark and search for magic.
Changes in the Lineup
In his first game as the coach, Matos indicated that fact with four changes to the XI. The former team—a week earlier—had been steamrollered by Bristol City. Jay Fulton, recalled to the starting lineup, made his first league start of the season since the opening day. He marked this milestone with his 300th appearance for Swansea. This method of personnel zeroing not solely served the sake of refreshing the squad, but additionally creating a brand new sense of operating objective.
Matos introduced a 4-3-3 similar to the shape he used at Maritimo. Though this tactical alignment hardly seemed possible early in the match, Swansea barely produced a clean look the entire game. As for their top scorer, Slovenian forward Zan Vipotnik, he had one very promising goal-bound effort but ultimately failed to convert his chances.
Derby County made dangerous forays too with Ben Brereton-Diaz the first to go close. It was Ethan Galbraith who gave Derby the breakthrough, finishing an attack with a well-placed shot. Sadly, it was the skillful strike that sunk the home team’s victory sails.
A Manager’s Perspective
After the match, Matos gave his initial impressions on the outing, recognizing the areas where action is still needed.
“The result was not good, that’s clear. In the game there were good moments that we can build from. I think that’s the most important thing, that now we have a starting point to build from.” – Swansea’s Vitor Matos
His energy on the sideline was just as contagious, as he aggressively rallied and motivated his players. Matos celebrated his side’s opening attack like it was a game-winning goal and almost found himself on the pitch. He just missed an amazing last-second tackle on the assistant referee!
Following the game, Derby manager John Eustace expressed his frustrations. He acknowledged that despite their win, there was more that needed to be done.
“We need to improve a lot of things, (that is) clear. The way we need to finish our attacks, the way we have the ball possession, we don’t create the chances – that’s what we need to improve.” – Derby’s John Eustace
Looking Forward
Matos begins his journey at Swansea City looking to restore faith. To his credit, Steele has a tough ask with a squad that has experienced recent agony. The players and staff both know there is pressure after losing four straight league matches. He doesn’t necessarily need to make the most out of a weak hand, but he’ll certainly need to among the expanded field.
It’s no secret that the next two matches are crucial for Matos’ future. He must first instill a winning mentality and help ensure that Swansea start to climb out of the relegation zone. While fans hope for a crystal clear turnaround, they’ll be intently watching to see how Matos puts his plans into action from here on out.
Leave a Reply