Pre-season friendlies are rarely a reliable guide to the season ahead, but Swansea City fans who watched Saturday's 1-0 win over Leganes may well have caught a glimpse of a new attacking approach. Stephen Welsh missed out with a minor illness, but Moussa Yeo, Joseph Opoku and Elijah Just all enjoyed significant game time as they continue to settle in.
Yeo and Opoku started out wide, positions that proved a source of frustration for Swans fans last season. Eom Jisung and Ronald, who regularly filled those roles, racked up a combined 19 goal contributions, while loanee Gustavo Nunes added one more assist. Those figures are typical of a mid-table Championship side, but they will need to be boosted if Swansea are to have any chance of reaching the play-offs this season.
New signings show promise
It is still too early to tell whether the new arrivals will deliver on that brief, but Saturday offered some encouraging signs. Yeo looked lively in the opening 20 minutes against the Spaniards, producing neat one-twos and occasional glimpses of his pace, though his influence faded as the first half wore on. Opoku, in contrast, started with some clumsy touches before growing into the contest, showing a pleasing hunger for loose balls and linking well with those around him.
Opoku's goal just before the break was expertly taken, striking first-time from 35 yards after Adam Idah had the ball taken off his feet by onrushing goalkeeper Raul Fernandez. Idah also set up a good chance for Just before that goal, holding the ball up brilliantly before the New Zealander arrived in the box to fire wide.
Tactical tweaks
The patterns of play were often pleasing, with Yeo in particular playing neat passes into Melker Widell and Marko Stamenic early in the first half. The three new signings also benefited from Josh Key and Josh Tymon playing narrow roles. Key at times looked like an added sixth outfield player, easing pressure on Stamenic and giving the wingers more opportunity to express themselves.
Inverted full-backs are nothing new for a coach devoted to the counter-press, but the approach was particularly pronounced in the first 45 minutes. Goncalo Franco's injury may have contributed, as it gave Stamenic more freedom at the base of midfield, with Key almost acting as another number six in a double pivot. That allowed Widell to play higher, and gave Just greater licence to push forward in possession and press with more abandon without the ball. Just came close to netting the opening goal.
Fluid rotation
The results were not conclusive, but they were encouraging. Perhaps the most interesting development was how the three behind Idah rotated their roles. Midway through the first half, Opoku moved to the left, Yeo to the middle and Just drifted to the right. It then switched back, with Opoku on the right, Just in the middle and Yeo on the left.
This could simply be experimentation, but it highlights a quality Swansea have lacked. Eom has shown some versatility but has not nailed down a specialist role, while Ronald is clearly seen as an out-and-out right winger, despite some internal thinking he could play more centrally. The three new boys, by contrast, appear capable of fluid interchanges if Saturday's approach is anything to go by.
Matos admitted the versatility of his three attacking recruits was part of the attraction in signing them. "All of the three have that kind of profile in terms of versatility. But different characteristics in terms of explosiveness. Yeo is someone who can use the spaces a bit more and using the players around to feel the game. The same with Elijah. So that is a strength we wanted. So I'm really happy that we could have that in terms of the market and I think the club is doing a really good job in terms of signing players that fit the culture of the club."
Different shapes for different challenges can only be a good thing in a league as demanding as the Championship.
