Swansea City vs Watford - I am ready for relegation battle

Posted Friday, October 21, 2016 by PA

Bob Bradley accepts Swansea are in a relegation battle but believes he can draw on his experience in Norwegian football to keep the club in the Premier League.

Swansea slipped into the bottom three after Bradley's first game in charge last weekend, a 3-2 defeat at Arsenal.

Asked if Swansea were in a relegation fight ahead of his first home game against Watford on Saturday, Bradley said: "Yes. But let me be very clear when I say that.

"If you look at the way the team has played in recent years, you can easily say this is a team that has shown itself to be a mid-table-type team with the possibility of being in the top 10.

"It's not as if that idea has been forgotten but I also know the history.

"I know how important it is to be in the Premier League when a team has a tough start, there's been a managerial change and we see where we are in the table.

"Whether we're in a relegation fight for two more weeks, four more weeks, six more weeks, it depends.

"If we can get on a good run and start to get confidence I doubt whether that's going to be a question I face every week.

"But in the meantime it's our job to get on a run and re-establish ourselves."

Former United States manager Bradley certainly enjoyed the winning habit at his first European club.

Bradley took charge at Stabaek following their promotion to the top flight in Norway in 2013 and guided the unfashionable Baerum-based club into the Europa League.

Drawing parallels with Swansea's situation, he said: "It (relegation) was a big topic in my first year at Stabaek.

"The team had just come up from the second league where the goal was simply to stay up after promotion, because every expert in Norway said, 'This team is going down'.

"We started well in our first eight or nine matches but then we had a little dip.

"I don't think we went into the relegation zone, but nonetheless the press said, 'Here we go, we knew it was coming'.

"I remember telling the team not to read anything or listen to anyone because none of those people watch us train every day or see what we're all about.

"The situations are similar, but I understand the spotlight in the Premier League is bigger and you have the history of a club like Swansea City and being in the Premier League and what it means for the community and the supporters. I understand how important it is to make us better."

Fernando Llorente will return for Swansea having missed the last two games with rib and knee injuries but Jefferson Montero is still sidelined with a calf problem.

Modou Barrow has recovered from a knock which forced him off at Arsenal.

Walter Mazzarri has warned Watford not to underestimate a Swansea side he believes to be languishing in a false position.

Hinting that former boss Francesco Guidolin was unlucky to have been sacked and replaced by Bradley, Mazzarri praised the Welsh club's style of play.

Swansea lie 19th in the table going into the game but Mazzarri has told his players not to be fooled and has been impressed by the Liberty Stadium outfit all season.

"Even under Francesco Guidolin they were playing good football for many moments so they are a very good team and in their stadium it's a team we have to be aware of," said Mazzarri.

"Swansea are a very good team that deserve more points than they have so far."

Former USA boss Bradley took over in the wake of Swansea's 2-1 home loss to Liverpool, only for his new charges to lose out at Arsenal last weekend.

Mazzarri is wary of Watford being hit by the anticipated upturn in form that often accompanies a change of manager.

"Usually when you change a coach the team always have a positive reaction on the pitch," he said.

"Swansea have already shown against Arsenal that they have been playing much better.

"They played very well against Arsenal."