On Thursday, Swansea City manager Francesco Guidolin sat down with the media and discussed the team’s upcoming match against Southampton. The Swans, who are unbeaten under Guidolin, are looking to avenge the away fixture defeat and continue the inspired run of form.
In their last match, Swansea played Crystal Palace at the Liberty Stadium but could only salvage one point, drawing 1-1. Attacking midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson scored the lone goal off a free kick and midfielders Andre Ayew and Jack Cork had exceptional games in both attack and defence.
The Italian manager is keen to see improvement
Guidolin called for a more clinical performance from his team, pleading for a better effort defending set pieces. The Swans have had some difficulty in defending free-kicks and corners, so defending against target men Charlie Austin and Graziano Pelle will be an important task for the defence.
Guidolin stressed the quality of Southampton, who are unbeaten in their previous five. He also praised Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, as both a quality player in the past and in his current coaching role.
The praise of Southampton was turned into a call for a dedicated performance in order to avoid relegation. Guidolin was quoted as stating 40 points would be enough to clear the drop zone, but he appeared confident in his club and own managerial talents.
As the club are currently in-form, Guidolin felt happy of the current position and future for Swansea. “I am happy at the moment but I would be even happier if we had beaten Crystal Palace”, said Guidolin. “We played very well but we must be more clinical in order to win matches."
A chance to climb further up the table
A victory against Southampton will require a major effort from all areas of the pitch. Guidolin delegated the set-piece work in training to goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts, in an attempt to give the problem more attention.
The relationship between first-choice 'keeper Lukasz Fabianski and Roberts is strong, a necessary quality for improvement to be had. The team will most likely start without Ki Sung-Yeung, he’s fit but recovering from a concussion suffered against West Bromwich Albion.
If Ki is recalled, winger Wayne Routledge is the favorite to drop but a change in formation may be on the cards for the Swans, who could call for more action on the wings.