Long term injuries to left back Marcos Painter and midfield maestro Ferrie Bodde would have sent shock waves through any squad but Swans boss Roberto Martinez has built a side upon foundations of strength and depth. The injury list has grown this month with the loss of Darren Pratley for up to 8/9 weeks with a shoulder injury but despite the loss of the workman in the heart of the Swansea midfield , the Liberty Stadium club have not let the foot off the accelerator.
Having such a strong squad at his disposal , Martinez has ensured that the club will give themselves every chance to repeat the success of last seasons league one championship run. It is that depth of the squad at the club that has left Dutch shot-stopper Dorus De Vries praising his team-mates for standing up and being counted as he told the SWEP, he said “Strength in depth is something that we have here. We have got so many players who have been working hard in training and now they are getting their chance. Paints and Ferrie are out long-term and now Prats is out for about 10 weeks. But the guys who have come in have really taken their chance.”
Losing fellow countryman Ferrie Bodde was seen as a hammer blow to Swansea but Carmarthen born youth team product Joe Allen seized his chance to impress and has become a first team regular this season; Whilst Marcos Painter’s injury could have caused problems , Fede Bessone briefly filled the gap left by the Irishman until an untimely injury saw the Argentine sidelined. However being one of the revelations of the season Alan Tate has vastly impressed the Swansea City faithful.
De Vries was gushing with praise for his colleagues who have come into the side over the last few months as he alluded too “ Joe has done fantastically well since he came in. (Andrea) Orlandi, (Guillem) Bauza .I could continue, when these guys come on the pitch they always do something for the team. You can look at Tatey. He’s come in and done very well at left-back and Albert Serran, who is a centre-half, does great at right-back. The man who I would like to talk about, though, is Albert. He’s a great guy and he came in after six months without much game-time and after two minutes he makes a great assist.”
Taking every game as it comes , the Beverwijk born keeper is certainly feeling the buzz around Swansea and the expectation that is growing in the city, he added “You can feel the buzz around the place. When you go to training and the games, we have a great feeling,We are 15 games unbeaten but there is a long way to go. Promotion is what we are fighting for, it is in our reach. We have got to take it step by step. We have got that belief and positive attitude, we need to keep these performances and results going. If we can then we can do it.”
Since the season opener against Charlton Athletic , Swansea have continued to learn quickly and have progressed and matured into the role of promotion contenders with ease. Not that the 28 year old is taking the lofty position the Swans find themselves in for granted and has vowed to keep the pressure on until the final game of the season against Blackpool .
“Looking back at the first game against Charlton, we have learned so much. We are still growing even though we have adapted very quickly to this league. We have tried to do the basics and also play football in the right way. Sometimes it goes to plan and we get what we deserve, other times we have to dig in and grind results out.It is about having the complete package. I think we have that, but it’s about doing that until the last league game.”
