Planet Swans ArchivesGarry Monk summed it up for me after the game in wondering how Napoli will return home with their goal completely intact as the Swans dominated the play completely as all the statistics proved.
69% possession, 8 shots on target compared to 1, 18 shots overall compared to 7 told the exact story on a night when the team showed a side that was within a whisker of qualifying for the Champions League last 16 just exactly how good we can be when we are at the top of the game.
Led by the magnificent Pablo Hernandez the Swans pretty much took the game to Napoli from the off and only an inspired performance by Rafael Cabral in the visitors goal really kept them at bay as they looked to take an advantage into the second leg.
The keeper saved well from Dyer, Bony, Canas, Routledge and Rangel in a first half that also saw him pick up an injury and do little to endear himself any more to the home crowd when he went down just before the interval for treatment with the Swans well placed to work on another attack.
At times during the first half it looked like a gulf in class existed between the two sides as the Swans pressed and pressed after an initial five minutes that saw the visitors come close twice to opening the scoring but that in reality was probably as close as they came in the ninety minutes.
Dyer was first to come close for the Swans when his shot was tipped around the post whilst Bony had two long range efforts that didn’t force a save but highlighted a different attacking threat in the team that has reappeared since the change in management and full credit must go for this to Garry Monk and his backroom staff.
Bony again was close as he just failed to connect to Nathan Dyer’s cross whilst Canas tested the keeper from long range as the Swans reigned in shots on the opposition goal. Rangel saw his header from a corner tipped over by the keeper whilst Williams headed over whilst unmarked as most of the Liberty crowd shook their heads in half time at how the home team had not gone into the break ahead.
The keeper’s injury was enough to see him replaced at half time by former Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina and he was on hand in the second half to save well from Routledge as the Swans continued to press.
The change of Pablo for De Guzman seemed to change the pace of the game slightly although the Swans were still the better team by far but they lost the incisive passing that Hernandez had been showing and chances were not as free flowing. Credit though here to the visitors as well as the clear half time message was to give us less space which they were doing to effect.
That said both Ash and Chico missed glorious chances to head us into the lead we deserved when they headed straight at Reina when anything either side of him would quite probably have ended in a goal but the game was destined to be 0-0.
On the face of it that is a little disappointing that we didn’t turn our clear advantage on the night into the win we deserved but the key for me is that we go to Naples next week on a level footing and who knows what could be possible if we can sneak an early goal.
This tonight for me is right up there with our best performances this season and if there were any doubts about the ability of Monk to take this team forward then it won’t take too many more performances like the ones we have seen to date to persuade the Chairman that we may just have another inspired choice on our hands.
Magnificent Swans now for the next challenge.
