Football League World
·1 October 2024
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·1 October 2024
Swansea City threw away leads in the second half against Cardiff City and Bristol City
Swansea City made it three games unbeaten on Sunday afternoon against Bristol City, but there was a sense of disappointment at the Swansea.com Stadium when the full-time whistle put an end to proceedings.
The Swans had made an excellent start and took a 1-0 lead into half-time, but it was a completely different second half, and Bristol City were excellent value for their point in the end, with Luke Williams' side being outplayed by the Robins during the latter stages of the game.
At the break, Swansea supporters would have been confident of sealing all three points and getting one over Liam Manning's side, but the Swans looked off the pace in the second half, and it's not the first time that's happened this season.
The Jack Army would have had a sense of déjà vu, with Sunday's fixture with the Robins being very similar to August's South Wales Derby where Swansea cruised into a lead and looked comfortable before being pegged back and sharing the spoils.
Swansea picked up just two points from home fixtures against Cardiff City and Bristol City, dropping four points in total, and results like that could be the difference between a mid-table finish and being in the mix for the play-offs.
Swansea took a 1-0 lead early on against Cardiff and Bristol City, dominating the first 45 minutes and having chances to extend their lead, but the second half saw the opposition get the upper hand and ultimately steal a point.
This will be hugely frustrating for Williams, not least because his side failed to beat two clubs they would have loved to have beaten, but because these dropped points could be so important at the end of the season.
Had Swansea held on against Cardiff and Bristol City, they'd be on 15 points, and fourth in the Championship table. They're currently ninth, still a respectable position, but you can't help but feel that these two missed opportunities will come back to haunt Williams' side.
The Swans have scored eight Championship goals this season, with six of them coming in the first half, and they've scored in the second half in just one of their seven league games, a stat which will make grim reading for the Swansea boss.
Conversely, the two games that Swansea have lost this season, away games to Middlesbrough and West Brom, the Swans were dreadful in the first half where they conceded their goals, but were more impressive in the second half despite not being able to find the back of the net.
At the moment, Swansea can only play to their full potential for one half. The home fixture against Preston is the only time that they've scored in both halves in the Championship, and if Swansea could perform how they have for selected 45 minutes for the entire game, then they'd be in the play-off mix this season.
There have definitely been positive signs for Swansea this season, and the fact they've lost just two of their seven league games and haven't conceded more than one goal in a game shows they have the makings of a good side, but they need to start putting full 90-minute performances in if they're to be a top side.
One of the reasons Swansea might be struggling for the perfect full 90 is because their new signings aren't quite able to put a 90-minute performance in, and the quality of the players replacing them leads to a drop-off.
For example, the Cardiff City game changed completely when Goncalo Franco was taken off, and Swansea struggled against Bristol City after he was replaced too.
The Bristol City fixture saw new signings like Franco, Jisung Eom and Zan Vipotnik replaced after decent showings, and the players replacing them weren't quite able to make the same impact.
We're nearly two months into the new season, so Williams will want these players to be up to speed by now, and perhaps their fitness or conditioning isn't quite at the required level to put in a 90-minute shift in the Championship.
Of course, if the new signings aren't fully fit, that's not Williams' fault, and it'll be frustrating for him that it's the start of October, and they're still not able to complete a full 90.
Fitness will come and this isn't something that should be a long-term concern, but it'll be interesting to see if Swansea's second half woes continue when the likes of Franco can play the entire game.
Dropping four points against Cardiff City and Bristol City from winning positions has been a huge frustration to the Jack Army, and it can't afford to continue happening in the coming weeks.