Newcastle United vs. Swansea City Preview

Premier League

Football
Published: 12/12/2011

Alan Pardew will be seeking a swift response from his Newcastle United side when they host Swansea City at St James Park on December 17 in order to quell the disappointment of back to back defeats in the Premier League.

Newcastle shocked everyone with an excellent start to the campaign which saw them fighting in and amongst the top four until Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City inflicted their first loss of the season.

And following that reversal, the Toon Army’s bubble has been well and truly burst by Chelsea and Norwich City who both recorded comfortable victories against them.

For Pardew, it must now be a case of reassessing his side and refocusing on the goals which they initially set out to achieve at the beginning of August.

If anything, Newcastle have shown that it only takes a couple of defeats to become swamped and chewed up by the Premier League big guns – and Europe for Newcastle is now looking a distant possibility. Nevertheless, a top half finish would do much to satisfy owner Mike Ashley and the fans who have been on a rollercoaster ride throughout the past few years.

Swansea have also impressed during the first third of the season and have accommodated to Premier League life fairly well since their promotion.

Brendan Rogers is a tough cookie and he has implemented a great deal of steel and tenacity within his side which has been extremely competitive in the main.

Although they lack an obvious goal threat, the Welsh outfit are organised to sound effect and their game plan to try and frustrate the opposition has so far proved rather profitable as they sit in mid table.

Their visit to Tyneside is unlikely to be as daunting now following Newcastle’s recent run of form and they can put up more than just resistance against a team whose confidence appears to have ebbed away.

But for goalkeeper Tim Krul, who must surely be in contention for an international call up, Newcastle could have lost by a far heavier score-line against Chelsea and in particular Norwich City who completely dominated at Carrow Road.

The Geordies will have to match Swansea’s workmanlike approach if they are to stop the rot and it is doubtful whether they can do especially if Swansea can restrict their attacking opportunities.

A double result of either Swansea or the draw at around 11/10 makes most appeal looking ahead to this intriguing fixture which will either see Newcastle stem the tide or continue on their slippery slope back down the Premier League table. For the first time since he took over at the helm, the pressure could really be on Alan Pardew to deliver a positive result and get the club back on track.

Brendan Rogers is unlikely to feel such anxiety and with his teams morale and energy growing, can definitely head back to Wales with at least a point.

If he is to orchestrate a result, he must pay special attention to the prolific Demba Ba who has been in stunning form – even at Norwich when he bagged a brace as part of a losing eleven.

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Any odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of publishing (12/12/2011) but are subject to change.

12/12/2011     © Frixo 2024

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