“No wholesale changes” – Luke addresses the selection dilemma

There has been much speculation this week around what kind of side Luke Williams will select for tomorrow’s FA Cup tie at Bournemouth.  Well, this afternoon he gave the answer that many will want to hear and that is that he will not be making wholesale changes for the game.

The absence of Jamal Lowe with a knee injury for a while will mean that not only will Jerry Yates likely see the nod tomorrow night but he should now get a run in the team to try and prove his claim for a starting spot after finding himself out of favour pretty much since the departure of Michael Duff.

Earlier on this week we published an article talking about the selection dilemma for this game and it appears that Luke does agree with the general thinking of this game that it is a chance for him to learn more about his squad but also the fixture presents a chance for the Swans to progress further in the competition.

Speaking to the media at his press conference this afternoon the Swans boss said “We won’t use this game to make wholesale changes. I think a cup run would be brilliant, and it’s useful for us to see more games because I’m still learning about the group.

“Progression in the cup would be a brilliant way to encourage the team, and give the fans something really exciting to look forward to.”

Quite what the non-wholesale changes means remains to be seen but with Yates seemingly certain to come in we could also see chances for the likes of Fisher, Pedersen and Allen in the game but it does seem that the general line up from last Saturday could well form the majority of the starting line up tomorrow night.

Despite targeting potential progression in the competition, Williams is not underestimating the Swans’ Premier League opponents and is expecting a difficult game as he added “Bournemouth are incredible. They have a very good group of players.

“If you want to progress, you are going to meet tough opposition. Sometimes you can have a easier run of the draws, but this is going to be a tough game.

“If we can play anything near the level we produced in the second half [against Southampton], then we can be optimistic but we have to play that type of football for longer periods and before the game is so far away from you that you have to climb a mountain to get back on level terms.”

These are clearly messages that he is getting across to his players both on and off the pitch and he continues to recognise that this will take time as they all learn together “It might sound strange, because I’ve worked with a number of these players before,” he added “but ideas and styles change, and players need time to adapt. Every single game at this point is an opportunity to learn what we can and can’t do as a squad. ”

The game at Bournemouth tomorrow kicks off at 7.45pm and is live on S4C.