Match Report |
Swansea City 3-1 FC Twente | |
|
Swansea City 3-1 FC Twente
Paulo Sousa got off to the perfect start this afternoon at the Liberty Stadium with a 3-1 win Dutch Eredivisie runners-up FC Twente
The Swans picked both new signings Dobbie and Dyer in the starting line up De Vries (Cornell, 75') Collins (Richards, 76') Monk (Serran, 45') Williams Tate (Bessone, 84'), Dyer (Bond, 84') Pratley (Evans, 87') Britton (Allen, 67') Bauza (MacDonald, 46')Orlandi (Thomas, 76'), Dobbie (Pintado, 46'). Although there were a few more direct balls, it looks like life under Sousa will provide a similar brand of football to last season. The first half was pretty cagey with both sides playing possession football.
 Both sides had chances to open the scoring though, the best for the Swans fell to new signing Dobbie 10 minutes before half time.Dyer sent the striker through on goal but was denied by a smart save from the Twente keeper. MacDonald and Pintado replaced Bauza and Dobbie at half time. The Swans started the second half the better side and should have gone ahead with Orlandi being felled in the area only to see the ref wave play-on.
 The Swans were soon in front though. Pintado intercepted a Twente pass and lifted the ball over the keeper from the right hand side of the area. The opposition hit back immediately. A slip from Collins allowed Rukavytsya time and space at the back post. He made no mistake from close range firing powerfully past De Vries off the bar.
 Sousa gave debuts to a number of Swans youngsters with 15 mins keeper David Cornell, Jazz (Ashley) Richards and Casey Thomas. The impact was almost immediate. A Nathan Dyer corner from the left found the head of 17 year old Casey Thomas who headed down into the gound and watched as the ball bounced over the defender into the net.
 Thomas again used his pace forcing the Twente defender into a rash challenge into the penalty area. Pintado made no mistake from from the spot sending the keeper the wrong way.
 Match Comments - Mike Thomas. First off, I really enjoyed the game, which was a surprise! Normally I don't go to friendlies because they tend to be a bit of a bore, but I think Twente treated the game seriously and played a style similar to ours, quick passing to feet and no long balls up the middle, which all made it enjoyable and very competitive. These are my thoughts on all the players I can remember: Doris - looked solid, apart from at corners, where he continued to flap, even shoving one of his own defenders hard in the back whilst nowhere near the ball on one occasion. Collins - a patchy performance. On the plus side, very strong in 50/50 challenges, but on the negative, often caught out of position giving his winger oceans of space in the second half, and a major blooper for their goal (along with Ash and Serran, who all failed to clear a not very threatening ball across their bodies). Monk - looked composed and classy on the ball, but found the aerial battle tough against some tall opponents. He was the first oen subbed - hope his back isn't playing up again. Ashley - very impressive, came out of defence and strode forward with the ball decisively on several occasions when nothing else on, and defended well. Tatey - another no-nonsense solid display. Orlandi - looking a lot better with short hair, but his game was a bit lacklustre, never really managed to skin his full back but didn't have much space in a tight first half. Leon - a bit quiet by his standards, but still so classy on the ball. Pratters - get fit soon! Outstanding display from a supposedly injured player, we will miss him in August, he was all energy and purposeful link play. Dyer - I was chuffed with his efforts, not that he showed too much in attack, but his attitude was outstanding; he never stopped working and tackling back for 80 minutes. Bauza - he won't be too pleased with this effort if he was trying to impress the new boss. He tried hard but was often chasing shadows, and his little touches and flicks weren't coming off. The Dobster - worked very hard on a hot afternoon for little reward, as the Twente back four rolled the ball confidently along the line, leaving him running around desparately trying to close them down and always just missing it. Only one clear chance and got a hard shot on target, but straight at the keeper. Looks OK, I think he will develop well. Pintado - Wow, his 'op' seems to have sorted him out, he was full of energy, harrying, running, jumping and tackling like a man possessed. Great finishes for his goals. Keep it up, son. Casey Thomas looks a great prospect with real pace, Joe Allen had a patchy start but soon started to show how he can influence a game, Macca was a bit indifferent, none of the other subs made a huge impression. I know he's a young lad but I thought Cornell looked short on confidence when facing a through ball into our area which he had time to come out and collect but backed off instead, giving them a chance to score. Early days for him. Bit disappointed not to see anything of Marcus Painter, hope he's fit for Spain, and looking forward to seeing Rangel again there too.
 Match Pictures - Nigel Drean
 Would you like your match report printed here? Email it to the site straight after the match. Click here to return to the main page. |
|
