Premier League preview: Swansea v Everton

Michu

After starting the season seemingly overrunning everything in his path, Michael Laudrup has had to spend the past week throwing a consoling arm around Swansea shoulders.

Ashley Williams in particular has been the target of his manager’s sympathy, as the Dane decreed that the defender’s mistake which allowed the Aston Villa debutant Christian Benteke to secure the three points last weekend came about because the centre-back was still traumatised from Wales’s 6-1 World Cup qualifying loss to Serbia four days earlier.

Benteke condemned Swansea to their first loss of the season with that strike, and Laudrup will now be eager to ensure that the negativity drawn from that result and from Williams’ woes doesn’t infect the games coming up, particularly given that they face a tough test against Everton here.

The Swansea boss would have been watching as the Blues impressed in Monday night’s clash with Newcastle at Goodison Park, but Everton’s failure to win showcased a lack of cutting edge when their top two performers Nikica Jelavić and Marouane Fellaini are off form. Admittedly they were unfortunate not to have been awarded a goal when Victor Anichebe’s header appeared to have crossed the goalline, but the defensive frailties which allowed Demba Ba to score twice for the visitors will have worried David Moyes.

Such slip ups cannot be tolerated with the likes of Swansea’s Michu around, and the Spaniard will be looking to improve upon his tally of four goals with the visit of the Blues to the Liberty Stadium, where the former Rayo Vallecano man has scored on both of his appearances this season.

The £2million signing was hailed as a shrewd piece of business by those in the know almost immediately upon his capture from Spain in the summer, but the test now is for the 26-year-old to adjust to life as Swansea’s main man and manage the new expectations put upon him.

He’s not alone as a threat of course, and the Liberty Stadium could be set to see the home debut of both the exciting Spanish winger Pablo Hernández – who once didn’t look out of place when rubbing shoulders with David Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata at Valencia – and the South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-Yeung, an impressive presence at Celtic for three years.

Moyes will have earmarked them as dangermen, but he’s got enough of those in his squad for Swansea to be worried about their visitors – who won this fixture 2-0 last season.

Everton will be sweating over the fitness of Jelavić after he was eventually forced off in the Newcastle game following his early collision with a post, but in Kevin Mirallas they have found a lively attacker who is sure to become a crowd favourite the more game time that he gets.

Whether or not he’ll be more suited to Goodison Park matches as opposed to playing away remains to be seen though, and Moyes is sure to adopt some of his natural caution when Everton head to South Wales for the Premier League’s early Saturday kick-off.

Just how much of that caution he exhibits will determine just how the game will go, but expect both sides to put up a strong fight in what could be an entertaining start to the weekend’s top flight football.

Everton will want to put right what they saw as the wrongs from the Newcastle draw, but in Swansea they’ll find a nut that will be tough to crack despite Laudrup’s apparent sincerity with members of his team.

He and his players won’t be keen to be generous on Saturday lunchtime, and the visitors might just have to settle for another point from another close contest.

Prediction: Swansea 2 Everton 2

Mark Jones – follow me on twitter

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