Michael Duff is looking towards Saturday and for a complete improvement in certain areas of his sides display when they take on Coventry City at the Swansea.Com Stadium. With no injuries, and seemingly a clear bill of health the Swans face the Sky Blues with numerous things to out right after their 3-2 defeat last week d to West Bromwich Albion.

Talking on this weekends game Duff was upbeat but recognises the issues in front of him, and with what he has witnessed over the first two league games. “In every stat we win, XG, corners, so there are positives within it, can we be better ? Absolutely. We’ve gone away from home they’ve had three shots on target, we’ve conceded all three, if you look at the two games we’ve had we haven’t been opened up once. We’ve been working hard, we just need to be better with the ball”

It was a ‘curt’ response but a realistic one to the question on how far Duff is away from turning a draw and defeat in to victories. “ I’ve no idea, it’s every day habits, it’s going to take time, no one is trying to kid anyone on, but we know with the ball we’ve been a little bit too slow, and a little bit too passive. We need to play with a little bit more zip through the thirds”

On squad work this week Duff explained, “The reaction from the players has been positive, we have worked on things we feel we need to improve on. A lot has been on the in-possession side of things but, of course, there has to be a balance because you can’t just work on one part of the game. It’s just about getting that clarity in what we want. I am not one for having 70 per cent of the ball in your own half, but I’m also not one for just booting it upfield. I want us to play through teams, that is what we have worked on, whether it comes off we will see but it is something we are trying to adapt.

It was an interesting comment on the lack of ‘zip’ - much of what the Swans do goes through captain Matt Grimes who can be accused at times of slowing down the game. So how will that change ? It seems Duff isn’t too happy with the fitness of some players, especially recent acquisitions. “A few of the ones we’ve been bringing in, we are getting people in but they are not fit. My remit is to make the players better. There has been a revolving door, there have been new faces, it’s going to take a little bit of time to knit it all together “

Swansea City v Coventry City goes ahead on Saturday at 3pm.

The whole nine minute interview is here -

Photographs with permission Swansea City AFC

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