Phil SumblerIt seems a little unusual to have nine days between the end of a football season and the start of the play offs but that is what Steve Cooper and his side have had to endure which has extended the build up and certainly led to some level of mind games.
The Swans were declared as having the pressure on them as Barnsley labelled themselves the underdogs yesterday but Steve Cooper was not really prepared to go into too much detail on those particular comments as he underwent his press conference ahead of the game.
Cooper answered questions for more than 15 minutes ahead of the clash with Barnsley on Monday evening and pointed out the obvious that no matter what happened over the 46 games of the season, all four teams will start level when the play offs do get underway in two days time.
“We are all in the mix,” Swansea’s head coach said.
“It’s one phase done in the league and we all start again in the play-offs – four teams and we all start in the same spot.
“It’s whoever performs in the two games to start with, one will get through from both ties and then there is another game after that. It’s four teams in exactly the same position all vying for the same thing.”
Barnsley were looking set for a relegation battle when they changed manager in October with the team 21st in the table but a superb run of form since the change lifted them to 5th in the table and with an unlikely shot at the Premier League.
Whether we’re favourites or fourth favourites, it wouldn’t make a difference to me,” Cooper said.
“I guess our results, the difficult period came in the latter part of the season so it’s probably quite present in people’s minds. So maybe it’s come from that.
“But it hasn’t had any bearing on our preparation or focus.”
