The away trip to Sheffield United this weekend is possibly not going to affect the immediacy of Swansea City’s managerial future. However, without exception Swans fans will be looking at Wednesday nights home game against Blackpool after last weekends collapse against Birmingham City.

Sheffield United are a club looking to return to the Premier League and have a ten point gap on third placed Middlesbrough. A victory for the Blades today would again ease any fears they can be caught. And that victory is odds on against a Swans side that even if they went three goals up would almost certainly revert to the type of performance we have seen so many times this season.

Swansea City and Sheffield United do score goals, the difference between the two clubs is their defensive records. The Blades have a far better goal difference and have conceded less goals this season, and that’s where the game will be decided today. If Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom gets his tactics right then a home win should easily be achieved. However, once again we look to the Swans defence to learn from their many errors this season and show they are learning at least something. If that happens then there is a glimmer of hope, if it doesn’t then a routine home win is expected.

Heckingbottom recognises what his side is up against today. “Swansea like to see a lot of the ball. We can’t get frustrated by it. Instead, what you do is try and use that to your advantage. In a lot of their games, they’ve been able to frustrate opponents into losing their composure. We respect what a good side they are, but we need to keep our composure. We’ve been able to impose ourselves on them in the past, either by actually having more of the ball than them or engineering the positions where we win it back.”

Swans head coach Russell Martin seems to have put behind him the obvious disappointment displayed post match against Birmingham City. A more disappointed man is yet to be seen this season after a football match. However, numerous conversations this week with the very people who clearly let him down during the transfer window ( the clubs majority ownership) seem to have healed his obvious frustrations. Speaking yesterday Martin said. “In the home game we played really well,” said Martin. The test for us now, and for this young team, is to go to Bramall Lane, where it will be a brilliant atmosphere, and perform against a team right at the top of the table. Sheffield United are winning games in lots of different ways and there’s a real threat in terms of their power and athleticism. They’re a team full of experience and I’m sure the fans will be right behind them. We’re going to try and be the team we want to me so I think it will be an exciting game for us.”

For Swansea City followers the season has been an extreme disappointment so far, some will say the whole campaign to date gives a false impression of what really is a far better side. Unfortunately the league table as is said so often never lies. It can’t. If the Swans can take anything from this game they will be delighted before moving on to next weeks home game against Blackpool which holds far more expectations than this afternoons game at Bramall Lane.

Photographs licensed from Reuters

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