MICHAEL DUFF WANTS ENERGY AND INTENSITY FROM SWANSEA CITY

Swansea City head coach Michael Duff has urged his side to make sure they start with energy and intensity when they host Coventry City this afternoon.

The Swans host the Sky Blues looking to bounce back from a first defeat of the season against West Bromwich Albion, while buoyed by the news of captain Matt Grimes’ contract extension.

Duff was happy with the character his side showed at The Hawthorns, as they rallied late on to nearly earn a point, but he wants them to make sure they don’t fall behind before starting to find the levels he wants to see.

“If you look at every stat from the first two league games, apart from the main one that matters, we have been the better team.

There have been positives but can we better? Absolutely,” he said.

“We need to be better with the football, but it’s about working on everyday habits. There has been a lot of change and it takes time.

“We want to hurt teams with the ball, we have had most of the ball in the two games so far, but it’s about having that zip in our play and starting games with the right energy and intensity.”

Coventry visit SA1 on the back of an emphatic 3-0 win over Middesbrough, lwho they faced in the play-offs at the end of last season.

Swans boss Duff has a great amount of respect for the job Mark Robins has done in reviving the fortunes of the Sky Blues, and believes the way they have steadily built and improved is an example for other clubs.

“Mark is a really good guy, they have a belief in what they do, there is no kneejerk reactions in terms of what they do if they have a defeat,” he said.

“He has put in his ideas and implemented things over time and you now look at them and every player they sign fits a Mark Robins team and how they wanted to play.

“They had a difficult start to last season, but they didn’t rip it up and start again because the time they have spent there has shown they were doing things the right way.

“They got to a play-off final, I was at that game, and they were really unlucky. It shows what you can do

Swansea City will look to continue their unbeaten start to the season on home soils when they welcome Coventry City to the Swansea.com Stadium this afternoon.

The Swans return to SA1 looking to bounce back from defeat at West Bromwich Albion last time out, as a late fightback was not enough to prevent a 3-2 defeat at The Hawthorns.

Michael Duff’s side have a draw and a win under their belts in their own backyard courtesy of a draw against Birmingham City and the Carabao Cup win over Northampton Town.

They face a Sky Blues side who responded to league and cup defeats with an impressive 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough – who they also beat in last season’s play-offs – last time out.

Swans boss Duff has no new injury concerns ahead of this fixture, with Liam Walsh and Steven Benda the only players currently sidelined.

But the head coach will weighh up whether to make changes having been unhappy with the lack of intensity and purpose his side played with for much of defeat at West Brom.

New signing Charlie Patino made an impression off the bench, while the likes of Liam Cullen will be hoping to force their way into the starting XI.

Michael Duff: “The reaction from the players has been positive, we have worked on things we feel we need to improve on.

“A lot has been on the in-possession side of things but, of course, there has to be a balance because you can’t just work on one part of the game.

“It’s just about getting that clarity in what we want. I am not one for having 70 per cent of the ball in your own half, but I’m also not one for just booting it upfield.

“I want us to play through teams, that is what we have worked on, whether it comes off we will see but it is something we are trying to adapt.

“It’s not like we have the players to get it at the back and smash it forward, that’s not the profile of the players we have got.

“So, it’s about finding that balance of keeping the ball, but keeping the ball and playing with purpose.

“We don’t want to keep the ball for the sake of keeping the ball, and in the first half last weekend I felt it was too slow and too safe.

“We had a lot of ball but I don’t remember us creating a chance, outside of a set-play, so it’s about finding that bit of zip in our play.”

Mark Robins: 

“They are a little bit different, but they’ve still got the bulk of the same players.

“They brought in Jerry Yates and one or two other players in fairness, but they brought in Jerry Yates, who, who will fight and scrap and try and run in behind, and Joel Piroe still there and, you know, for me, he’s one of the top players in the division, so they’ve done well to hold on to him.

“They’ve got some talent throughout. Matt Grimes is a really good player from the deep position in midfield and they’ve got some good players who know this system really well.

“They will change and can flip to a different formation. They went to a back four last season and they’ve done similarly this season already.

“It’s a good game and always a good game against them because they’ve got some really good footballers and tactically, it’ll be it’ll be really interesting.”