Swansea City's summer transfer focus on wingers paid immediate dividends in a 3-0 Championship victory at Derby County. The win lifts the Swans to 3rd in the table with seven points from three games, just two points behind leaders Charlton.
All three goals at Pride Park came from wide players, a stark contrast to last season's struggles. Supporters had called for improvements in the wide areas after only six goals came from wingers during the previous campaign, with striker Zan Vipotnik responsible for 40% of the team's 57 goals. The early signs this term are positive, with Swansea's wingers already netting four times, putting them on track to easily surpass last season's total.
Summer signings Joseph Opoku and Moussa Yeo were central to the success at Derby. Opoku opened the scoring within 90 seconds, assisted by Korean international Eom Ji-sung, and later added his second goal of the campaign. He was forced off with a cut foot, but his replacement Yeo looked bright, registering five touches in the opposition box, more than any other player on the pitch, and coming close to scoring himself. The performance demonstrated the added competition and quality head coach Vitor Matos now has at his disposal.
Former Swansea winger Andy Robinson praised the recruitment. "He's got it, but it's just about consistency," Robinson said of Eom Ji-sung. "Swansea have spent that Ethan Galbraith money really well."
Eom Ji-sung was one of three changes to the starting lineup and delivered his best performance in a Swansea shirt. He provided the early assist for Opoku and scored his first goal since April just before halftime. Brazilian winger Ronald also made an impact from the bench, scoring six minutes after coming on while the Swans were already 2-0 up. The attacking fluency meant Slovenian striker Zan Vipotnik was not needed until the game was effectively won.
Defensively, the team was equally impressive, keeping a clean sheet as Derby failed to register a single shot on target. Academy product Filip Lissah, a Czech Republic youth international, was particularly strong. Moved to central defence due to injuries to Ben Cabango and Cam Burgess after starting the season at right-back, Lissah won eight of his nine duels against experienced forwards and combined well with Stephen Welsh.
The result provides a major confidence boost and validates the club's summer strategy. With a goal difference of +4 from five scored and one conceded, the foundations look solid. Matos highlighted the importance of defensive stability. "Clean sheets are massive for the mindset," the manager said. "We have said from the start that we need to defend well to be able to attack better."
Attention now turns to maintaining this form. The summer transfer deadline is on Tuesday, and if Vipotnik remains, Matos will have a selection of forwards including the Slovenian, Adam Idah, and Ross Stewart. The immediate focus is the next fixture, a home game against 9th-placed Watford on Tuesday.
