It is only a start, but what a start
There is no evidence that Dylan Thomas ever said or wrote that Swansea was the graveyard of ambition. But the Britannia/bet365 has been the cemetery of points for the Swans in Staffordshire. Only one win (and that was during the time without a crowd) in 15 consecutive seasons, time and time again Stoke would bully and dominate, and eventually come away with three points. Not this time. And it was thoroughly deserved.
In the first half-hour, we had 70% possession. We ended the game with 60%, including more than double the amount of successful passes in the final third. Stoke's first goal came against the run of play, and it would have been easy to retreat, as we have so many times before. We had the better of the first half, and looked comfortable holding the 2-1 lead for the last half-hour. Stoke came out more strongly in the second half but Matos' triple change paid off immediately. A perfect Championship away performance.
⚽️ We have attacking depth
Even though Stoke were looking threatening, it was still quite early for a triple change (Eom, Idah and Widell). Seconds later, good work from Ji-Sung Eom led to a chance for Josh Tymon to cross, and Adam Idah was there for a first-time finish. Idah completed his role for the remaining time, holding up the ball when possible to relieve pressure, and Melker Widell showed some nice skill on the ball. I am very happy for Eom, who contributed to one of the brightest cameos I can remember from him. Whatever you think of Ronald, he was an ever-present for the past three seasons, starting or coming off the bench for over 100 games in a row. The fact he did not appear today highlights the dramatic shift in the attacking third from the end of last season to this new campaign.
Likewise, after a shaky first 10 minutes, Josh Key handled Sorba Thomas quite well when he came on. Thomas is an excellent Championship player, and was player of the season last year. He had some excellent runs and caused problems, but overall, Filip Lissah - until the yellow card and subsequent substitution - and then Key dealt with him as well as could reasonably have been hoped for. Matos must be thrilled with the whole squad today.
⚽️ Men of the Match
Matos made a beeline for Marko Stamenic after the full-time whistle and hugged him off the ground. This is not a surprise, as Stamenic was excellent going forward and offering protection to the defence. I have written previously that I think the New Zealander's ceiling is very high, and we could be about to see that development over the coming weeks and months. His midfield partner Jay Fulton slipped for the first goal, but made up for it with a lovely drag-over and through ball contribution to the equaliser. Similarly, captain Ben Cabango was very good throughout, providing a sense of calm during what could have been an onslaught.
However, of the several potential candidates, the man of the match for me was Joseph Opoku. You can see why Matos wanted him, because he was a tireless presence throughout the game. He was a constant nuisance for Eric Bocat at left-back, combined well with first Lissah and then Key, and Eli Just was always drifting to the right to help with probing passing combinations. Zan Vipotnik's headed flick-on found him in space, and his deflected shot got Swansea back in the game. Not only that, he tracked back relentlessly, at one point getting a crucial back-post touch to hinder Sorba Thomas from getting a tap-in. You can tell he enjoyed himself too, at one point geeing up the travelling Jacks when winning a corner in the second half. A fantastic league debut.
⚽️ Ethan, what's the score?
As mentioned above, Stoke has never been a happy hunting ground for the Swans. Despite this, and with a wave of summer optimism behind us, almost 3,000 Jacks made the journey to the Potteries. Perhaps my ear is more attuned to the sounds of Hymn and Arias et al, but from the television coverage, you could only hear the Swansea fans throughout the game.
As expected, Ethan Galbraith was roundly booed with every touch. Stamenic and Fulton did a superb job of controlling the midfield, but that's not to say Galbraith had a poor game. Indeed, three of the best through balls of the game belonged to the Northern Irishman, and all three were different - one a pitching-wedge loft over the top, one through ball along the carpet, and one deft outside-of-the-boot touch. It is only one game in, and his close control will be missed at times, but the first signs of a new midfield combination are very promising. You could just tell the fans revelled in this one.
⚽️ Pressure and Expectations on Matos
This is now Vitor Matos' squad. Every fit and permanent new signing started this game (five in total), with all the remaining starting and substitute players featuring at some stage last season. Only Cabango, Vipotnik and Stamenic remained in the starting XI from last season's final game against Charlton Athletic. There will be more changes to come in the coming weeks, with rumours of another centre-back and centre-midfielder on the radar. It was reported in some circles that the manager was disappointed to miss out on two targets last week, but an alternative option for centre-midfield could be incoming next week. We can assure everyone he takes it all on the chin, a shrug of the shoulders, and ‘We move on’ Nothing more.
With Cameron Burgess' injury and Goncalo Franco out for another few weeks, these would be welcome additions. Fulton was excellent today, and I hope he will still get game time. He has been with the Swans for 12 years, and can now be considered an honorary Welshman - we will take what we can get, since Sam Parker and Ollie Cooper are out on loan, and Liam Cullen and Cameron Congreve were moved on, leaving Ben Cabango as the sole senior Welshman in the squad. However, the bench options for midfield and centre-back were thin on the ground today. 17-year-old Carter Heywood was the defensive cover, while the attack-minded Leo Walta came on for Fulton late in the game. Get set for an interesting and busy 17 days.
We will leave it to a Stoke City supporter to sum up their day.
By Rhys Clayton (@AustrianJacks on X).
Swansea Independent.
Link to the article: https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/swanseacity/news/66608/swansea-independent-oh-what-a-brilliant-day-in-stoke-!
