Swansea City experienced a disappointing 2015-16 Premier League season, but have the chance to turn things around this term. The club will be led by Francesco Guidolin, who is surely excited for his first full season in charge, and will be hoping for the same success he experienced in the latter half of last year, when he helped steer the club clear of relegation.
2016-17 Swansea City Season Preview
Positives From Last Season
Last season started poorly, floating near the relegation zone for the first half of the year. Due to this poor run of form long-time player and manager, Garry Monk, was sacked. Only a few short weeks later, the ownership announced Francesco Guidolin as the new manager. The appointment of Guidolin took many by surprise, and the players were no exception. Club captain Ashley Williams even admitted to looking up his manager online to figure out who he was.
Despite the appointment being a rather odd one, and not receiving much applause, it paid off with a great second half of the season. Under Guidolin, Swansea went from the relegation battle to safely sitting midtable by the end of the year.
Impact Players And Good Signings
Swansea look to have a very good season coming their way, as they have kept their captain Ashley Williams, other key players, and have even made some very good signings. They have just recently confirmed the signing of Spanish international forward, Fernando Llorente. Along with the signing of Llorente, they sold Andre Ayew to West Ham for a reported fee of roughly £20 million.
Despite Llorente only scoring four goals last season in La Liga for Sevilla, he should surely help a very average Swansea attack. The Swans were only able to score 42 goals last season, only better than six other sides, with two of them being relegated. So, despite his recent lack of form, he will be welcomed with open arms as another attacking option moving forward.
It will likely be down to the returning core of the team to determine how successful Swansea will be. Players like Lukasz Fabianski, Ashley Williams, Leroy Fer, Ki Sung-Yueng, and Jefferson Montero have lots of potential between them. One of the most important things going forward will be retaining the services of the captain, Ashley Williams.
Weakness From Last Season
Swansea had one of the worst scoring records in the Premier League, something that needs to change quickly. With the return of most of their core attacking players, along with the addition of Llorente, this should be an improved part of the club this season. And despite sending Ayew away to West Ham, they should be able to cope and make due with the squad at hand. Don’t expect them to be a quality attacking side, but it will definitely be improved from last year’s lacklustre output.
Players To Watch
Fernando Llorente
Moving to England and joining Swansea could be just what the Spaniard needs to revive his career. Llorente is undoubtedly a quality attacking player, when in form. And, due to his ability to be a key player, Guidolin will be looking to get him going to help both the player and the club. Look for him to contribute well and improve the depth up top.
Ki Sung-Yeung
The crafty and controlled central midfielder could very well play a large role in any success the club sees this season. A player well-known for his great vision in the centre of the pitch and solid distribution of the ball, he could play a vital role in the possible revival of Llorente. He will also be tasked in continuing his impressive play in the centre of the pitch, and he is surely going to play a pivotal role this campaign.
Key Matches
The key matches of the season will be the season opener, against Burnley, and the first few matches after that against Hull, Leicester, Chelsea, and Southampton. Burnley and Hull will be matches that Swansea will expect to win, and could very well set the tone of the season to come. The Leicester and Chelsea matches will show what kind of improvement the club has made. The Southampton match will show how realistic it is that Swansea can challenge for a possible Europa League qualification.
Season Outlook
The main key factor will be how they compete against other midtable clubs, and that will determine whether they challenge for a European qualification or sit in the lower half of the table again. The other major key element to the upcoming campaign will be whether or not the signing of Llorente pays off, and how much the attacking end of things improve.
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