A Quick Analysis of Swansea vs. Manchester United (17/08/13)

From the moment the whistle was blown, to the ending handshake between the the two opposing managers, the game has not lost its speed or entertainment value!

The first twenty minutes left a tremendous bias in our minds, favouring Swansea of course. The teams played as though they had been switched. The feeling was further amplified by a beauty play led by Routledge, supported by Michu of Swansea at 18 minutes. The Swansea side seemed to be in good sync, with new signings Jonjo Shelvey, Jose Cañas and Wilfred Bony fitting into the team perfectly.

Although Swansea seemed to be the frontrunners in the first half, United made some great plays and fired some brilliant shots. But even more brilliant was the stunning scissor kick scored by Robin Van Persie, crisp, powerful and accurate. As if that was not enough, an inch-perfect cross by Evra to Van Persie ricocheted off Van Persie’s head to Valencia, who made a quick pass to Welbeck, who finished it with a simple tap in.

But the loudest cheers erupted when the controversial Wayne Rooney walked onto the pitch on the 61st minute. The team moved and played with a new vigour that it previously lacked.

Swansea still ruled in possession and plays, and the glue holding the team together was Cañas. That changed when Van Persie scored his second goal with a grand curl out of the keeper’s reach in the 74th minute.

Not to be left out, Wilfred Bony, Swansea City debutant capitalised on a mistake by Welbeck to let loose a sharp flick into the goal at the 82^nd minute.

Welbeck chose to retaliate with another goal; a gorgeous flick above Swansea keeper Michel Vorm. The United winger/centerforward’s game seemed to have evolved since last season. A lot more maturity and less recklessness could be seen in his play, although his tendency to keep possession of the ball for too long had not yet changed.

Although the lack of Alex Ferguson’s touch was evident in the way United performed, they did a good job under Moyes’ command. The real test will be their match against Chelsea next week, by which the Rooney saga will have reached a long impending conclusion.

Michael Laudrup’s side did the best they could but it just wasn’t their day. Swansea can’t be written out as yet though; a team of their skill level has the ability to finish in the top 7 this season.