Swansea vs. Tottenham match preview

Tottenham travel to Wales to play a desperate Swansea team who will most likely be without their target man and top goal scorer Fernando Llorente.

Both teams need three points for entirely different reasons but the impetus will be on Spurs to boss the game. Swansea are teetering on the brink of the drop zone, only a point clear of relegation favourites Hull City.

Swans under Paul Clement

Paul Clement instilled belief and structure in a dejected team that was all-but consigned to the drop at the turn of the year. Winning four of the first six games under Clement’s guidance, Swansea, like most teams under new management, surged.

Clement deserves a lot of credit for that. He stabilized a team whose identity had deserted them. But the honeymoon is over and a string of one win in five has pulled the Swans back into the thick of the relegation dogfight.

That’s not to say they aren’t a potentially dangerous team to play against because they are. While tragic away from the Liberty Stadium, Swansea have won three of five home games with Clement at the helm.

They’ve only conceded three goals in four recent home fixtures, which might not sound like an accomplishment to write home about. But, though it’s a small sample size to draw from, it shows a marked improvement in their defensive organization.

Swansea are still the worst defensive team in the top flight, allowing 63 goals – 2.1 per match. That’s four more than Hull, so conceding less than a goal per game, no matter how large the sample size, is a testament to Clement’s managerial acumen.

Though Swansea’s defence – before Clement took charge – had more holes than a tramp’s socks, the same cannot be said for their comparatively proficient attack.

Swansea’s attack

Threatening at times, Swansea rely heavily on the one-two punch of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente. Unfortunately for the Swans, Llorente is unlikely to play any part in Wednesday’s game.

Clement, in an interview with Wales Online, said that the Spaniard’s ankle injury persists and his presence on Wednesday is doubtful. Llorente did not play in Swansea’s frustrating goalless draw with Middlesbrough on the weekend, further demonstrating how important he is to this side.

Llorente and Sigurdsson have scored 19 of Swansea’s 36 goals, the Spaniard forward chipping in with 11. He leads the team in goals and links up extremely well with Sigurdsson.

Spurs have one less mammoth problem to deal with.

So, stop Sigurdsson and, hypothetically, you stop Swansea. Sigurdsson has pitched in with a league-leading 11 assists. Only Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne has as many. He is at the centre of almost every meaningful Swansea attack.

Keys to Spurs success

Tottenham should dominate possession. Eric Dier will most likely fill in for Victor Wanyama in a holding role he’s familiar with from last season. Dier will be tasked to quell Swansea’s counterattack by sniffing out the threat that Sigurdsson perpetually presents.

If Dier plays anywhere near as proficiently as he did against Burnley, Tottenham will leave Wales with all three points.

The triumvirate of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-Min will, as always in Harry Kane’s absence, be responsible for Tottenham’s offensive threat. Those three are more than capable of penetrating Swansea’s improved – yet still porous – defence.

Next: Tottenham make statement with 2-0 win at Burnley

Maybe most importantly, Tottenham must weather the early storm in an inherently boisterous and volatile building. Swansea stink of desperation and the supporters will try their utmost to lift their beloved team out of the manure in which they’re stuck.

Tottenham, however, is rolling, even with their litany of injury concerns. Though the north Londoners may not trounce the Welsh team like they did at White Hart Lane earlier in the season, there’s nothing Swansea supporters can do or say to stop Spurs from absconding with all three points.