Melker Widell has declared that a tireless work ethic is the absolute minimum requirement for any Swansea City player. The Sweden international, named man of the match in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Burnley, said the team's identity is built on effort that never dips.
"We want to compete against the best," Widell told the club's official channels. He pointed to the win over a Burnley side recently relegated from the Premier League as evidence of that ambition. The 3-1 result at SA1, which featured goals from Adam Idah, Moussa Yeo and Zan Vipotnik, lifted Swansea to second in the Championship table with 14 points from seven games.
Bouncing back from Southampton loss
The performance was a sharp response to a 3-1 midweek defeat at Southampton. Widell said building consistency is now the daily focus for the squad. "It is super important to be tighter as a group," he explained. "We are working for that every day. When you are in a good moment, you want to keep going."
For the winger, individual talent is secondary to collective graft. "It is a bare minimum," he said of the team's work-rate. "Even if it is not your day on the ball, you can still do your part by working hard." He described giving the supporters a win and three points as a primary objective for the players.
How the goals flowed
Swansea took control early against Burnley. Idah opened the scoring in the 13th minute before Yeo doubled the lead twenty minutes later, assisted by Elijah Just. Largie Ramazani pulled one back for the Clarets just before the hour, but Swansea sealed the points when Ronald raced onto a Marko Stamenic pass and laid it off for Vipotnik to finish.
The victory forms part of a strong start to the campaign, with a recent run of three wins, a draw and one loss. You can review the full sequence of results on our standings page. Defender Cameron Burgess remains sidelined for the upcoming fixtures.
Luke Williams's side now turn their attention to an away trip to face Lincoln on Saturday, 19 September. The squad will look to carry the intensity Widell championed into that match and maintain their position near the top of the division.
