Carefree Luton Town hoping to test Swansea City’s weary legs

Playing seven games in 20 days has stretched Swansea City’s depleted squad to its maximum; the Swans, however, head to Luton Town this weekend.

Even though they have picked up seven points in their last three games to move level on points with second-place Watford in the Championship table, there have been concerns about their performance levels in recent weeks.

They are struggling to create goal-scoring chances as opposition teams appear to have found a way to neutralise their flying wing-backs Jake Bidwell and Connor Roberts – both provided a regular attacking threat in the first half of the season.

Conor Hourihane’s arrival in January looked an ideal way to add more goals from midfield, and the Republic of Ireland international started excellently with four goals in his first five appearances. He has struggled in the last few games though, in part due to a lack of opportunities to utilise his deadly left foot.

Four of Swansea’s last six goals have been penalties, and several of those have been the result of contentious refereeing decisions.

The Swans managed just a single shot on target in a lethargic 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers in midweek and that was Andre Ayew’s first-half equaliser from the spot.

They have hardly been a free-scoring side all season, but keeping just one clean sheet in their last six has prevented Swansea making an automatic promotion spot their own.

“What we want to continue to do is commit to how we play, how we work and how the team behaves, and we’ll see where that takes us in the end. That process is still ongoing.

“34 games played, 12 still to go. We’ve just got to stay focused on the short-term and concentrate on what’s next.”

– Swansea City Head Coach Steve Cooper

The injuries have also started to mount for Cooper after centre-back Marc Guehi was forced off at half-time of the game with Blackburn due to a groin injury. Paul Arriola missed the game with a thigh strain and Jordan Morris and Liam Cullen are long-term absentees, although Wayne Routeledge did return at Blackburn after almost two months out.

Travelling to Bedfordshire to take on a Luton side that have little to lose on Saturday with Championship survival very nearly secured could therefore be a difficult task.

Whilst Swansea were toiling at Ewood Park on Tuesday night, Luton were able to have a full week off after their midweek game against Rotherham was postponed due to a Covid-19 outbreak among the Millers’ squad.

The Hatters currently sit 12 points clear of the relegation zone and are looking for a handful of wins in the coming weeks to ensure they won’t have to experience a scrap for survival on the final day as was the case last season.

“First thing is to get to 51 points, which was our tally last year. Once we get that, then anything for us is progression. That’s basically what we want to do.”

– Luton Town Manager Nathan Jones

A 3-0 defeat at the hands of league leaders Norwich City last weekend brought to an end a run of three games without a loss, although it should not be seen as an indication that Nathan Jones’ side cannot compete with the strongest teams in the division.

Luton beat the Canaries at Kenilworth Road in December and won at Bournemouth at the start of this year. They were also unfortunate to fall to a 2-0 defeat to Saturday’s opponents at the Liberty Stadium before Christmas as defender Matty Pearson was shown a controversial red card midway through the second half.

Luton’s transfer business has been key to establishing them as a mid-table side this season. Free-signing Jordan Clark and Leicester City loanee Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have helped the team evolve drastically from the one that looked destined for relegation before Covid-19 brought the 2019/20 season to a halt.

January arrival Elijah Adebayo has made a bright start to life in the Championship after arriving from League Two Walsall as well. The 23-year-old striker has already found the back of the net twice, and has also allowed Jones to utilise his favoured 4-4-2 diamond formation that helped Luton rise through the football league over the last couple of seasons.

Despite experiencing a far more comfortable campaign than last time around, Luton have won just one of their last five home games and hopes of a top-half finish are diminishing by the week, yet just surviving in the second tier ahead of a proposed move to a brand new stadium in the coming years will be seen as success.

Beating Swansea would not only do local rivals Watford a massive favour in the promotion battle but also provide further proof, if needed, that the Hatters are heading in the right direction under the management of Jones.

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