Our first game of Week 2 is the early kick off on Saturday which sees Swansea hosting the Hammers as both teams put their 100% winning records on the line in what looks to be a really interesting match up. A win for either team could take them to the top of the table for an hour and this is likely to active as an incentive with both teams wanting to get the season off to a start.
On the opening day Swansea were the surprise package as they secure an unexpected 5-0 away win against QPR, the influence of new manager Michael Laudrup and Spanish attacker Michu were immediately felt by the fans. Whilst that was an unexpected victory for the Swans it will have raised expectation for a team that lost not only it's manager (Brendon Rodger) but also it's talisman (Joe Allen) over summer. Many had expected Swansea to take a while to settle under the new manager in Laudrup but he needed little time to introduce himself to the Premier League with his team looking sensational.
Finishing 11th in the Premier League last season, Swansea were a solid team enough team to not get dragged into the relegation battle though their home form did leave something to be desired with the club securing just 31 points in 19 games at home. Whilst they were hard to beat at home the Swans didn't win at home regularly enough with 8 wins, 7 draws and 4 losses however defensively they were incredibly with just 18 goals conceded at the Liberty Stadium (the 8th best home defense, just 1 goal behind tied 4th) and an amazing 8 home clean sheets. Defensively they were brilliant. Offensively however Swansea struggled a bit scoring just 27 home goals (11th most) and with Scott Sinclair wanting away, Gylfi Sigurdsson gone and Joe Allen sold to Liverpool it may be fair to say that goals weren't expected this season. Despite they the club seem to have signed an out and out goal scorer in Michu and Nathan Dyer and Danny Graham have plenty of goals in them too, so goals shouldn't be too much of a problem this year.
Despite making a number of signings, many of which are available, Laudrup will not have Ki Sung-Yueng available due to the lateness of his signing and he will also not have Itay Shechter who who has been signed on loan. He will however have Michu and Jonathan de Guzman both available with Chico Flores doubtful, however Flores is likely to be replaced by fellow new boy Kyle Bartley. They should, even with one or two players missing, still have an enterprising line up.
On the other side of the pitch we have the newly promoted West Ham may not have been hugely exciting in securing a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa last week but they did pick up the all important 3 points. With Sam Allardyce in charge and a team full of proven Premier League players it was surprising to me that so many folk were tipping the Hammers for relegation because on paper they are probably a solid "lower mid table" team that should survive even if they don't really do anything great. With the likes of Jussi Jääskeläinen, Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble, Jack Collison and recent signing Matt Jarvis they have very well known Premier League quality and with Ricardo Vaz Te they have an exceptionally hard working attacker.
Last season West Ham finished 3rd in the Championship before gaining promotion via the play-offs. It was away from home that West Ham were at their best with some West Ham fans wishing they could play away every week. In 23 away matches West Ham secured 45 points, winning 13 away matches and drawing 6 to give them the best away record in the league. Their quality away from home was just in results but their overall performance having the tied best away defensive record (22 goals against)and the second best attacking record (40 goals for). If they can keep this sort of away form in the Premier League they could be a real threat though it's unlikely they can prove to be this effective away in the top flight.
Sam Allardyce has brought in some notable Premier League level names including Jääskeläinen, Collinson and Jarvis however his squad still appears thin on the ground. The players Allardyce has got are talented and are mostly proven at this level however the question is "has he got enough of them?" Whilst it might not be a huge problem this early in the season it's almost certainly going to be a problem unless Allardyce can bring in some more signings just to shore up the squad. With a near full team available "Big Sam" may view this as a chance to pick up at least a point.
With Swansea playing at home in the Premier League for the first time under Laudrup I expect the Swans to pick up the 3 points. This is unlikely to be as impressive as the performance against QPR but another excellent showing for the Swans.
Kick-Off: 12:45
Prediction: 2-0
Expected Line Ups:
Swansea-
Vorm, Rangel, Williams, Tate, Taylor, Michu, Guzman, Britton, Dyer, Routledge, Graham (4-4-2)
West Ham-
Jääskeläinen, Demel, Reid, Collins, McCartney, Diamé, Noble, Nolan, Vaz Te, Taylor, Cole (4-3-3)
Notes:As mentioned above Swansea's new signing Ki Sung-yeung is unavailable due to completing his move too late for the game
West Ham new signing Matt Jarvis is expected to start on the bench after completing his move from Wolves
West Ham's away record was mentioned above but amazingly they are on a 10 game unbeaten run, however they have lose their last 4 Away Premier League fixtures.
Players to watch out for-
Swansea:
Michu-The attack minded Midfielder made a quick start to his Premier League career by scoring inside 10 minutes and adding another in the same game as he made his mark on the league. Expect him to again be a goal threat and whether he bags another one or not he'll be a threat. Expect West Ham to try and keep him out of the game and if they do it's likely he'll tie up two players.
Nathan Dyer-Like Michu, Dyer started the Premier League season in style bagging himself a brace against QPR, expect him to once again be a threat as he tries to out perform what he managed last season (5 league goals and 6 in total). With pace and real threat towards goal, Dyer will keep the Hammers defense on their toes with or with the ball.
West Ham:
Kevin Nolan-The West Ham Captain is their key player and most of what they do goes through him. Nolan is the driving force behind West Ham so the Swansea defense and Midfield will look to keep Nolan from exerting his force on the game. Whilst he's the West Ham Midfield general he's also a threat in front of goal and acts not only as a poacher but also as a solid threat in the air meaning that he will need to be marked well at set pieces.
Ricardo Vaz Te-The Portuguese forward was one of, if not the, Player of the Season for West Ham after signing from Barnsley mid way through the season. His goal record for the club is tremendous and his work rate is through the roof, he will always pose a threat to defenses and he will be looking to open his scoring sooner rather than later for the season. If Swansea let him have the ball he could well net one here.
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