Swansea City

Danny Graham wasn't going to miss twice.

He'd botched his previous effort, failing to hit the target entirely with a shot from a difficult angle of Jussi Jaaskelainen's goal.

But the Swansea City striker—tipped by his new manager Michael Laudrup to notch 20 goals this season—would open his account on the season just minutes later.

Catching Wayne Routledge's lofted cross from the right end line, Graham didn't catch his volley flush but got enough contact that—even after the shot took a deflection—it bundled into the back of the net.

Swansea were already up 2-0 firmly in control against West Ham United before Graham's goal, but the symbolic 3-0 scoreline (an archetypal mark of dominance in the world of football), a true statement to the rest of the Premier League (Swansea have scored eight goals and conceded none in two games), was lent added credence by the fact that Graham registered his first goal of the season.

If you think they've been dominant thus far, just imagine if Graham gets going on a run of form.

Scorer of 12 league strikes last season, his first at the Welsh Club, Graham had been strangely silent during Swansea's league opener against Queens Park Rangers last weekend at Loftus Road.

His teammates—sterling new signing Michu and Nathan Dyer, both of whom notched braces against QPR—had been ascendant, and the former of the two got his third goal of the very young season against the Hammers.

While Laudrup's side have yet to face the heavy hitters in the league yet, Graham's first goal will have sent a shockwave.

Top scorer of the League Championship two seasons ago with Watford (24 goals), the 27-year-old has a habit of scoring in bunches once he gets going. That he can strike at a moment's notice, creating something out of seemingly nothing, only compounds his threat.

It is a predatory streak that adds an interesting element to the Swansea philosophy, steeped in passing football. Graham is hardly an exception to the rule—some of his link up play can be fantastic—but his ability to create goals out of nothing is an added asset to the Swansea attack.

It could prove particularly vital in a season where Laudrup has said that his side will need to have backup plans should league opponents try to take them out of their style of play.

Swansea City's 3-0 victory over West Ham put the Welsh side temporarily on top of the Premier League. 

More significantly, it symbolised a shift in footballing values in the Premier League—and it's a shift that will see the elegant Swans thrive. 

Swansea impressed last year in their top-flight debut, but many feared their second season would prove difficult. 

Last season, manager Brendan Rodgers garnered deserved plaudits for instilling the team so successfully with a strong footballing identity. Their emphasis on an attractive, fluid passing game drew only half-ironic comparisons to Spain and Barcelona. 

It even emerged that Swansea midfielder Leon Britton had the best passing accuracy rate in Europe, surpassing tiki taka master Xavi. 

It's a style that depends so crucially on how the team works together that any change in management or personnel can threaten to disrupt the flow. 

So when Rodgers signed on to replace Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool, eventually taking influential midfielder Joe Allen with him, Swansea's chances to continue their Premier League success suddenly dimmed. 

They also lost defender Steven Caulker, returning to Tottenham after his loan spell ended, and Gylfi Sigurdsson, whose tremendous form earned him a lucrative move to Spurs. Then the season started with doubts hanging over Scott Sinclair, agitating for a move to Manchester City. 

But the Swansea board was determined to stay the course Rodgers had set, and named Michael Laudrup manager. 

Laudrup, a European legend who played under Johan Cruyff at Barcelona, has relatively modest managerial experience. His most notable achievement was at Spanish club Getafe, where he fostered the free-flowing style favoured at Swansea. His one year in charge saw minnows Getafe reach the 2007-08 Copa del Rey final and UEFA Cup quarterfinals.

Still, questions over the young Dane's ability to replicate Rodgers' success remained. As the 2012-13 season got underway, Swansea were tipped by many for relegation.

Two games into the season, it is a very different story.

Swansea have not only retained the effectiveness of their passing style, they look to have improved on it. The addition of Michu, bought by Laudrup from Spanish side Rayo Vallecano, could well be the signing of the season. The dynamic midfielder's debut, scoring twice in Swansea's 5-0 annihilation of QPR, certainly banished any worry about losing Joe Allen and Scott Sinclair.

But opening day thrillers aren't always indicative of how the season will unfold—especially against sides as inept as QPR looked. After all, in last season's opener Bolton thumped the same team 4-0 away, and wound up getting relegated.

West Ham were expected to provide a sterner test at the Liberty Stadium. Intriguingly, it was a matchup that could be seen as pitting the "new" passing style of Swansea against the "old-fashioned" physical style of Sam Allardyce's West Ham.

The verdict was emphatic. West Ham looked static and bereft of creativity; Swansea were fluid and confident on their way to a 3-0 victory.

Swansea will certainly face less-obliging opposition, but their eight unanswered goals to kick the season off prove that they have been able to retain their attacking finesse as well as—equally important—a tidy defence.

It is a style that should prove as effective as it is entertaining, and could well put Swansea in contention for a top-six Premier League finish.

There were few strikers in finer form heading into this season than Swansea City's Danny Graham.

In the Welsh club's final three friendlies of the preseason, against the US Major League Soccer San Jose Earthquakes, English League Championship side Blackpool and German Bundesliga squad VFB Stuttgart, the 27-year-old scored a total of six goals, including a stirring hat trick.

It was the first treble for the forward in Swansea City colors, and combined with his excellent form in front of goal last season, when he led the club with 12 league strikes, all signs indicated he would open his account with a flourish against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road last Saturday.

Turns out, Swansea didn't need him. New manager Michael Laudrup's side powered to a thoroughly convincing 5-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road, propelled by braces from Michu and Nathan Dyer.

Now Graham turns his gaze toward the weekend fixture against West Ham United, Swansea's home opener.

The Jack Army is sure to be out in force to welcome their beloved side, and will be expecting fireworks aplenty after the exploit of last weekend.

Laudrup has backed Graham for 20 goals this season, a lofty amount considering it was met by just three Premier League forwards a season ago (Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero).

That might be an outsized ambition, but it's a clear indication of the immense confidence Laudrup has in Graham.

Acquired ahead of the 2011-12 season for just £3.5 million, the former top scorer for Watford in the League Championship (24 goals in 2010-11) has taken to the top-flight game with remarkable ease.

Graham combines a brilliant predatory streak—he is superb at pouncing upon defensive mistakes and transforming them into goals—with a keen technical ability and excellent aerial prowess.

Given his height (6'1") and ability to hang with physical defenses, Graham looks like the quintessential modern-day forward. Laudrup now believes he can take the next step forward as far as his career is concerned.

Expect Graham to reward his boss's faith with an excellent display this weekend.

Swansea City didn't have much to complain about in last season's run-in, where they would finish a surprising 11th in the league standings, but a 3-0 misfiring away defeat to Queen Park Rangers still rankled.

Midfielder Leon Britton called it "the worst performance of last season," and spoke of his desire to repay the club's terrific fan base with a positive result.

On Saturday, they couldn't have made a better start to the season, particularly considering that they'd seen their 2011-12 campaign—the first-ever for a Welsh Club in the modern Premier League—begin with a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City.

This road trip was far cry from either of the afore-mentioned games, as new manager Michael Laudrup watched his side run riot over QPR, winning 5-0 at Loftus Road.

Michu, signed for just £2 million this summer from Rayo Vallecano, scored the first goal of the Premiership season when he hammered a low drive past Rob Green in the eighth minute.

By all accounts, Green could have done more with the strike, but it trickled into the back of the net and it gave Swansea a priceless 1-0 advantage on the road.

The Spaniard would grab another goal just minutes later, keeping his balance and hitting a curling drive past Green into the top corner of goal.

His brace will have sent a strong message to the rest of the league. Scorer of 15 goals last season for Rayo, he is an early pick for signing of the season, simply based upon how little Laudrup had to pay to get a player of such undeniable quality.

Michu was joined on the score sheet by Nathan Dyer (2) and Team GB winger Scott Sinclair, who rounded off the scoring in the game's final minutes.

"It was very impressive," Laudrup told the club's official site. "It's always nice to win your first game of the season and to win away from home is always important because it can give you so much confidence going forward.

"Last season it took us until January to win away from home and with two home games coming up, it gives us something to build on. But the players are the most important, and I'm delighted for them."

Michu, Chico and Jonathan de Guzman (loan), all brought in by Laudrup this summer, sparkled in their league debuts.

Jamie Mackie, one of the three scorers for QPR in that April game, nearly found the net again on Saturday but for some last-ditch defending from Chico, who cleared the ball off the line after keeper Michel Vorm had failed to collect.

So good were Swansea that Danny Graham, the club's leading scorer last season with 12 Premiership strikes, didn't even need to find the back of the net. Considering he'd put five in the back of the net in the last two friendlies and six in the last three, don't expect him to stay off the score sheet for long.

It was the perfect way to start the season, and with two home games now awaiting Swansea, they have every reason to feel they can get a good foothold in the standings by mid-September.

That Swansea City slumped to a 3-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers on April 11 of last season shouldn't have been cause for too much angst.

Despite being terribly underwhelming for much of the season, QPR had claimed some high-profile scalps in the comfortable climes of Loftus Road, particularly as the season neared its end.

An in-form Arsenal side, which would eventually finish third in the league standings, had fallen 2-1 just 10 days earlier, and before the year was up, QPR would add Tottenham to its list of victims.

Considering that Swansea finished 11th—the best out of the three promoted sides last season (Norwich were 12th and QPR 17th), the loss could have been cast aside as an unwelcome blip in an otherwise promising term.

But Swansea have greater ambitions for the coming term, meaning losses of that register simply won't do.

Midfielder Leon Britton, like the rest of his side angling for the top 10 of the table this season, has picked out that particular loss as extra motivation ahead of Saturday's opener. He has said that the side "owes" its fans a positive result after the debacle last time around.

Newly-appointed manager Michael Laudrup, who has made no secret of his ambition at the Welsh club, will lead his new-look side once again to Loftus with every intention of making a statement to the rest of the league.

Keenly aware of the challenges teams face in their second season of Premier League football, Laudrup remains confident his new side can prove the "so-called experts" wrong.

"We all know that the second season in the Premier League is difficult, but we’ll have to show them that they are wrong," Laudrup told the club's official site. "We have good players here and a good squad and I think we can do well."

Swansea have the added plus of not having to deal with two of QPR's goal scorers (Joey Barton and Akos Buzsaky) from that fateful April day, either.

Barton's number at QPR has been given away to Ryan Nelsen, and the oft-troubled—and frankly befuddled (he tweeted that the number change took him by surprise)—Englishman is cutting an increasingly forlorn figure at the club.

An exit looks likely, with Fleetwood Town among the purported suitors. In any event, Barton looks unlikely to feature in any way on Saturday, and will likely join Akos Buzsaky, whose contract ended last season, out the door.

Jamie Mackie, scorer of seven league goals last season, is still around though, and will be fancying his chances against a new-look Swansea defense that has looked rather nervy during the preseason.

Two goals conceded to Blackpool and three to Stuttgart in Swansea's final two preseason matches will have QPR chomping at the bit to run at the new-look back four, which will feature new signing Chico in the center.

Britton confessed the side was "disappointed" to have gone down 0-2 to Stuttgart, but hailed the requisite character shown to grab the next three goals before eventually seeing the match end in a 3-3 draw.

Defense might be an issue—Swansea gave up 51 goals last season—but they also showed the ability to clamp down on the road. Perhaps, most notably at the Emirates last September, when their resolute display very nearly earned a point, save for a fluke Andrey Arshavin goal in a 1-0 win for the Gunners.

Michel Vorm's form has been sharp in preseason, and after earning widespread praise for his performances between the sticks last season, he will enter the coming campaign as a key man.

Moving up the pitch, Swansea's attack is looking quite formidable heading into 2012-13.

That was the area of the pitch where the Swans generated the most appeal, playing a wonderfully aesthetic brand of fluid, passing football that took the league by storm.

While Gylfi Sigurdsson, one of the key members of their second half of the season surge, has left for Tottenham, Laudrup moved quickly to fill that creative void.

Michu, signed for a paltry sum of £2 million this summer, is already shaping up like one of the signings of the season.

The 6'1" attacking midfielder's technical prowess makes him an almost seamless fit into the Welsh club's vaunted triangular passing scheme, and he has looked every bit the fulcrum during the preseason preparations.

Add in his nose for goal (he found the back of the net 15 times during La Liga play for Rayo Vallecano last term), and you've got a potential impact player.

With Danny Graham leading the line, and ready to showcase his trademark "bugle" celebration more frequently this season—he scored a hat-trick against Blackpool and a brace against Stuttgart, and that's not even mentioning his goal against San Jose Earthquakes on July 31.

All told, Graham's total ran to six goals in his last three preseason games. A vein of form that has him brimming with confidence heading into the campaign.

Laudrup has backed Graham for 20 goals this season, and with the former Watford man high on confidence, that may well be a possibility.

That starts at Loftus Road. "I think we definitely owe the fans one (against QPR)," Britton said. "(The 3-0 loss) was probably our worst performance of last season but it’s going to be a tough game because they have made a lot of signings."

Like last season, QPR have embarked upon a frenzied buying spree in the transfer market, bringing in eight new players. It is a true mix of old and new, with three of the signings still under 25 (including former Blackburn talent Junior Hoilett) and three over 30 (including former Manchester United stalwart Park Ji-Sung).

QPR hardly broke the bank, as five of the arrivals came via free transfer, but the fresh infusion will have their fans clamoring for a strong start to the season—particularly after dealing with the threat of relegation until May last term.

Swansea, who completed the signing of former Arsenal youngster Kyle Bartley on Thursday, will be hoping to continue upon last season's form. He joins Itay Shechter, on loan from Kaiserslautern, in the buying bin at the Liberty.

“We’re hoping to get off to a good start. QPR will be a very tough game, but we’re all determined to give the supporters something to cheer about on the way home," said Jonathan de Guzman, who like Shechter, will be on loan this season.

Laudrup says he's watched April's match against QPR "a couple times," and believes his side is ready for the challenge.

So, will the most regular of EPL clichés at the Liberty Stadium, “Second season syndrome,” be a consolidation, or will it be onwards and upwards?

If it’s to be the latter, there are three teams Michael Laudrup’s Swans simply have to be claiming six points from during the coming campaign. Let’s start with the opening weekend’s opponents. 

QPR

One of two teams to jump clear of last season’s relegation trapdoor, but Swansea teams have traditionally found points hard to come by against the Hoops—including two heavy Loftus Road defeats in the last two campaigns.

Yes, Rangers have recruited heavily with the likes of Robert Green, Junior Hoylett and Robert Green, while Allen and Caulker will be absent from the Swansea team sheet. But let’s look outward, not inward.

Laudrup’s recruitment of Flores, Michu, De GuZman and Schechter gives Swansea a brighter, even hungrier look than before. So the points verdict against the Rangers? If the Swans can hit the ground running and fully  BELIEVE in their 2012 vintage, why shouldn’t it be a full six from six against Mark Hughes’ men?  And so to..

WIGAN ATHLETIC

The lazy and predictable UK football media had them relegated even before the fixtures were released and the cry will doubtless rise, it HAS to be a full six against the Latics. Rodellega may have gone— to a puzzlingly low-profile Fulham—and the Chelsea vultures will circle round Victor Moses until their man is carried safely down south, but Swansea fans as always must beware the Martinez factor.

An exemplary student of the game, their former boss masterminded inspirational new tactics to catalyse the Wigan gallop to safety from a spine-chillingly bad start last term. His eye for a quality unsung overseas recruit won’t have gone unobserved by Liberty boss Laudrup—Real Mallorca’s Ivan Ramis perhaps the latest in a long line of such.

Manchester United were just one of the glitterati halted in their tracks at the DW last season; if Swansea are looking to "kick on" this time, Wigan’s an "elephant trap"  essential to avoid.

Aston Villa

Despite the club’s history and tradition, there are many who genuinely feel Paul Lambert’s taken a downward step there from "upwardly mobile" Carrow Road to the "beached whale" of Villa Park. It was the scene of the Swans’ debut EPL away win last term—a feat they must repeat both there and at the Liberty to continue sailing above, rather than risk now dipping below the Premier radar.

While shedding Premier Regulars like Emile Heskey and James Collins, Lambert‘s addition of a trio from the Dutch League will doubtless need time to bed in. Unless Mr Lerner’s recently tightly-sewn pockets can be further unstitched, this must surely be viewed as a site for potential Swansea profit.

Pre-season friendlies can so often be viewed as a detective would regard a crime scene—clues, indicators—who did it, who didn’t do it, and most certainly who won’t be doing it any more.

Such was the case with Swansea’s 4-2 win over Blackpool last week, which threw up a quartet of familiar names one could justifiably deduce as standing under Laudrup’s Danish sword of Damocles. So, let’s conduct the identity parade and attempt to pass verdict on the fragile four.

1. GARRY MONK.

The former Southampton centre-back’s been an outstanding back four general for the Swans since Kenny Jackett rescued him from administration a Barnsley in 2004. A consummate reader of the game,  he battled back from a potentially career-threatening cruciate ligament injury at Scunthorpe to re-affirm himself as leading team-sheet pick while Swansea glided up the Divisions through to Wenbley’s destiny day in May 2010 and through the Promised Land’s executive doorway.

For Monk though, those promises became frustratingly half-visible visions. His honed defensive alliance with Ashley Williams was splintered by the accomplished season-long loan stay of Spurs’ Stephen Caulker.

On the few occasions he was given a starting role, a lack of one extra yard of pace both in turn and thought seemed absent as never before. With Laudrup’s signing of Chico Flores, the stay/go verdict on Monk would have t be a narrow—GO

Next of the non en-vogue quartet is

2. Mark Gower.

Bought by Roberto Martinez as a goal-scoring winger from Southend in 2008, the first part of that description quickly fell by the wayside. Despite posts and crossbars being hit and goalkeepers having days as superheroes  the Gower goal drought remained.

However as the dugout blended through Martinez, Sousa and Rodgers, something the former Spurs trainee could never be impugned for was lack of effort. “Mr 110 %” became a more holding midfielder under Rodgers. But in an EPL where the old perspiration /inspiration equation for success is reversed by a significant percentage, Gower’s fingerprint on games became progressively less. As a result, like Monk, his future looks set to be ultimately stamped with a GO.

At risk Candidate number three—

3. Andrea Orlandi

Part of the Spanish package introduced by manager Martinez in 2008 alongside Senors Rangel, Gomez and Pintado, the stylish wide-man cum midfielder was rarely allowed the chance to shine. Firstly via a congested and successful first team line up and secondly an untimely and extended injury.

Selected with reasonable regularity by manager Rodgers for EPL duty, performances such as that away to Wolves leave an impressive imprint. But with the direction currently being ploughed by boss Laudrup, while the heart says STAY, the mind’s overall logic falls slightly and sadly on the side of a GO

And so to our fourth and final suspect under the microscope,

4.Stephen Dobbie

After much serious thought, Martinez and Assistant Graham Jones headhunted the Scotsman as the ideal replacement for Jason Scotland, whose 20 plus goals had so illuminated the side’s impressive Championship season #1. Unfortunately though, Roberto’s departure for Wigan heralded a period of unfortunate misuse/isolation for Dobbie. Paulo Sousa’s obsession with employing the aging and increasingly injury-prone Gorka Pintado saw the absurd anomaly of 7^th placed Swansea scoring less goals than that year’s 3 relegated teams. While Dobbie’s invention and goalscoring ability during a loan spell at Blackpool helped fire Ian Holloway’s Tangerines through the aforementioned EPL gates with a true panache sustained through much of their flamboyant campaign in the EPL.

For Dobbie though life back at the Liberty again had a Groundhog Day frustration. Another loan to Blackpool, another play-off at Bloomfield Road, but another closed Liberty Stadium door for the man with a sharp eye to unlock an opening. Even if it’s as an ‘impact player’ from the  bench, all logic screams that for this northern Celt it surely HAS to be a STAY. 

Just 45 seconds into Swansea City's Tuesday night friendly against Blackpool at the Liberty Stadium, Barry Ferguson, captain of Ian Holloway's swashbuckling side, attempted to play a back-pass to his keeper, Matt Gilks.

The pass never reached its intended target.

Swansea striker Danny Graham, scorer of 12 league goals last season, his first for the club (who coincidentally became the first Welsh side to crack the Premiership in the modern era), pounced upon the drifting pass and, after touching past Gilks, coaxed his shot into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

It was a near mirror image of the former Watford striker's goal against San Jose Earthquakes exactly one week ago.

In the final game of Swansea's America Tour, Graham had intercepted a wayward volley from Earthquakes left-back Ramiro Corrales, who had looked to play his pass to keeper Jon Busch.

But it lacked the requisite pace, allowing Graham to pick it out and, after nudging past the onrushing Busch, the forward slotted home from a dwindling angle to put his side up 1-0.

While that would prove the only goal he'd score on that sunny night in San Jose, Graham was far from finished in Swansea.

By the time he made way for Luke Moore in the 67th minute, he had completed a hat trick and propelled his side to a 4-1 advantage in what would end a 4-2 victory after Tom Ince converted a consolation penalty for Blackpool in the dying minutes.

In between his first and second scores, Graham turned provider—and for attacking midfielder/support striker Michu, to boot.

In the 17th minute, Graham played a neat through ball for the tall Spaniard (he's 6'1"), who "coolly slotted past (Gilks)" from just inside the area, according to Swansea's official website.

It was that latest bit of quality from the man born Miguel Pérez Cuesta, who is an early favorite for "signing of the season" after being plucked from the ranks of Rayo Vallecano for just £2 million.

Michu, who tallied 17 goals last season for Vallecano and was included alongside Graham on the preseason U.S. tour, has already shown an uncanny resemblance to another lanky attacking midfielder.

Like the Brazilian Kaka, Michu possesses a tremendous capacity to keep possession in the tightest of spaces.

When combined with his superb technique and an eye for goal, it's little wonder Michael Laudrup, named Swansea manager in mid-June, moved quickly to bring him into the fold.

Michu had been a revelation against San Jose. After starting somewhat slowly along with the rest of his team, he was involved in all of Swansea's excellent passing movements, which began to grow in force as the first half wore on.

Graham completed his hat trick with a 12-yard finish, after some excellent work from winger Nathan Dyer, and a tap-in after Gilks had spilled Dyer's effort in the second half.

It was little wonder that Laudrup professed he was "pleased" with the victory, played out in front of some 8,000 supporters.

"I saw what I wanted," Laudrup told the club's official site. "We kept possession well, the three new players slotted in nicely and in some moments we played some really good football.

Laudrup was particularly happy with the finishing—notably the assortment of finishes by Graham—from his two attacking options.

"All three (of Graham's) strikes were different; he showed great composure for his second goal and it was also great for Michu to get a goal. Overall, I was pleased with what I saw."

After ending their preseason tour of America with that 2-2 draw against San Jose, the impressive win over Blackpool will have done last season's 11th-place league finishers a world of good, particularly with that Aug. 18 opener against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road coming thick and fast.

Allen, Sinclair and Taylor Back in the Fold

While Joe Allen's future at the club (he has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool) has dominated recent news, Laudrup confirmed in his post-match interview that the young Welshman will join his fellow Team GB teammates Scott Sinclair and Neil Taylor at training on Wednesday.

Swansea conclude their preseason preparations at the Liberty Stadium against VFB Stuttgart on Saturday.