This Is Our Time ~ Swansea City (FIFA 16 Dynasty)

[Number999]

Sigurdsson saves Swansea, draw 1-1 with Bury

Game Recap: Pathetic? Eh.

You're playing at Court Lane in your first match for the FA Cup. You've been in decent form, albeit not great and have to just do your job to defeat Bury, which is a Football League One side. You should have gotten the job done, and you had the chance to win it in the 70th odd minute. Instead, you force a draw and are just going to put more extraneous games for yourself as your team is kind of getting very depleted in the attacking front and it'll only also continue to distract you from the BPL.

The one and only goal by Bury was just such a stunner. It came just right after the game started. The ball was just bouncing around at center-field towards Swansea's side of the pitch and the ball just sort of fell to Tom Pope who was a good bit off the edge of the box. He was surrounded by 6 defenders, he shouldn't really have scored and should have just been tackled for a ball recovery. Instead, knowing he was going to get tackled, he takes a wild shot that tossed him to the ground and it turns out to be the shot of his life. A beautiful shot that fluttered into the top left corner as Lukas Fabianski was left helpless as he dove up, 1-0 Bury just like that.

Gylfi Sigurdsson saved this embarrassing performance by Swansea City though. In the 37th minute, Swansea got a free kick a little bit off the edge of the box and the true free kick specialist stepped up. He managed to split two defenders and the ball shocked the keeper as he had to make a diving save that was just a little bit too late. It tied up the game at 1-1, and it was one of the first set-piece goals that Swansea City had scored in awhile.

Swansea City improved their attacking for the remainder of the match, but they were never able to quit break-through again. Martin Ødegaard missed a chance in the 43rd minute, Eder had a brilliant chance in the 60th minute hat Robert Lainton, Bury's goalie just managed to make a fantastic save. Then the worst of them all was in the 72nd minute. Jefferson Montero had cut in and had a spectacular shot on net that Lainton parried off, Michu had a wide open net to put it away but skyed it off the post to keep the game even. After such good finishing the previous games, he flopped there.

So there you have it. A draw. Welp.

Stats from Bury 1 - Swansea City 1

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Other Pictures from Bury 1 - Swansea City 1

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Michu blows wide open chance in the 72nd minute

[Number999]

PIKAMICHU DOES IT AGAIN! Swansea takedown United

Game Recap: Manchester United couldn't handle Pikamichu.

Coming into this match, you had a feeling a clean-sheet would go down for one side. Each of these two teams are some of the best defensive teams in the BPL, with Manchester United having only conceded 17 goals while Swansea City have only conceded 18 goals. Something had to break this match though, and while numerous pundits had counted on the rain and playing at Old Trafford being the difference maker for Manchester United, they were dead wrong.

In the 22nd minute though, Wayne Rooney did prove to be a huge threat to Swansea City. He took a one-timer shot in which it blasted off the post when he was in the box and really if he was just aiming for the top right corner shot where the crossbar and post meet, he nailed it perfectly. Sadly, that ended up being one of the few chances that Swansea City would allow considering they scored a goal soon-after, and then focused on going ultra defensive to prevent a potential United comeback.

The goal? A penalty. In the 26th minute, Marcos Rojo went in to try and take out the ball after a shot by Michu deflected off of Victor Valdes' hands. Instead, he got all of Ki Sung Yueng's fault and the referee had no choice but to call a penalty. Michu stepped up and put it away in the top left corners just like he always does. Swansea City has been one of the BPL's best at getting calls for penalties due to making defenders nervous, and against such stout defensive teams whenever you can make that happen it's always a plus to Ooovaro for implementing such a strategy. The fact his players get it done also just makes it all the more greater.

For the next 50 odd minutes or so, no major moment happened. It was a lot of back and forth in the mid-field with neither side truly being able to break-through. That all changed in the 76th minute. With Manchester United playing a more pressing and offensive focused style trying to tie up the game, it allowed Jefferson Montero to go 1 on 1 against Phil Jones down the top wing. Phil Jones tried to go in for a diving challenge but the Ecuadorian was too fast for him. He started heading towards down the box but instead sent in a cross insanely near-post to Michu who was streaking in.

Usually the chance doesn't result in anything and the keeper simply parries it or makes the save. But this time, Valdes stood back counting on Rojo to make a play. Instead, Michu got the ball so perfectly while Rojo was left up in the air that it caught Valdes off guard, it shot past him and at a crucial point in the match, Swansea City now led 2-0. They never allowed Manchester United to get back into the match, and just like that Swansea had upset the 3rd ranked team in the BPL at Old Trafford. Still a fluke, right?

Now some United fans will be bitter. Saying they win by 2 or 3 goals if that penalty never gets called, but it doesn't matter. Swansea City is shocking the football universe right now, and it's just so typical of them to be able to draw with Bury and then go on to defeat Manchester United by two goals. Perhaps consistency should be Felix Ooovaro's #1 focus.

Stats for Manchester United 0 - Swansea City 2

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Other Pictures from Manchester United 0 - Swansea City 2

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Marcos Rojo diving for a reckless challenge on Ki Sung

[Number999]

Jefferson Montero potential move to Borussia Dortmund?

Uh oh...

There was recently a report leaked out by the press that star right-winder Jefferson Montero for Swansea City may potentially be on the move. It is being reported that Borussia Dortmund have strong interest in the Ecuadorian 26-year old and with his recent belief that Swansea City are interested in getting younger... it may make sense to try and make such a move. But, not so fast. Swansea City have been thrown around in essentially every young attacking player worth a damn right now. It could be mere speculation or factual, but as of right now Swansea have not signed anyone.

Borussia Dortmund have been playing quite well in the Bundesliga. They're currently tied for 3rd place with Bayern Munich with 37 points. Vfl Wolfsburg is in 1st with 40 points. Of course we all know about the young talent they've been able to produce globally, and maybe Montero believes he could truly take his game to the next level by moving there. But, Montero has been in spectacular form this season and he's playing on the football world's biggest stage in the Barclays Premier League. Does he want to remove himself from that for bigger wages?

Jefferson Montero in terms of his production has been astounding. He's been the healthiest player of any attacker with Swansea, and his numbers show it. Through 25 games, he has 1 goal and 6 assists. While that may not appear to be spectacular, the way he creates down the wing and passes it in to the man who gets the assist is so much more than what can be accounted for in mere statistics. Felix Ooovaro knows this above everyone else. It's his decision though if he believes he's replaceable.

His price is somewhat up in the air. At 26-years old, he doesn't have an enormous ceiling. With his current production he has boosted his value, but by how much? Reports are saying it's in the 9 million to 15 million range. But with how limited Swansea are at attackers at the moment, and the fact that they seriously need to maintain guys who provide stability, Dortmund are going to have to empty their pockets if they really want Montero. Would they rather have him or two other players they can develop cheaper? In all likelihood based on their history, it's the later. There's gotta be some Eredivise team looking to keep feeding them.

But all these transfer windows circling everyone right now has to be put on hold. Swansea City have to now play a replay against Bury in the FA Cup and hopefully they show up more like they did against Manchester United than they have shown in the usual cup matches.

[Number999]

Losing penalty costs Bury, Swansea advance on 2-1 win

Game Recap: In Andre Ayew's return, he scored the goal that sent Swansea onto the next round.

Tom Pope got a penalty after Jonjo Shelvey acted like a num-nut and decided to dive in towards a Bury player AFTER he had shot the ball and Yvon Mvogo made the save. Now they were gifted a second chance, and Tom Pope put the penalty away on the right side as Mvogo didn't move. It seems Tom Pope was the bane of Swansea's existence in the FA Cup, and they would have to play from behind all over again just like last time.

But the match played out in similar fashion once again. Gylfi Sigurdsson got a shot on the edge of the box on a free kick. This time though, it was deflected and didn't pass through since it didn't have as much air. The ball flew up in the air after it kicked up off a player's foot and the keeper dove and was out of position. It lightly bounced off the crossbar and at the far post, Ki Sung Yeung out-battled a defender for the header and put the ball in the back of the net. 1-1 right before the end of the 1st half just like last time? Simply beautiful, except this time Swansea broke through again.

It was clearly evident Felix Ooovaro wanted to feed the ball to Andre Ayew in his return. He had a strong performance but his finishing was lacking and it could only be expected after missing so many months. But, as the match dragged on Bury's defense only got more and more tired and was making riskier challenges. That's when Nathan Cameron made his biggest error. The center-back for Bury let Martin Ødegaard who was a fresh substitute run and dart past him and he tried to reign him in by grabbing his short. Sadly, the youngster is so weak it's not unexplainable to see why he was so easy to takedown, but for Bury that meant giving up a penalty.

Ooovaro put Andre Ayew to get the job done and he slotted the penalty away. Swansea City went defensive, and Bury never got another chance. It's an FA Cup victory for Swansea City and even though it was more difficult than they would have liked, it still counts and hey, who doesn't like to get an extra victory at Liberty Stadium?

Stats from Swansea City 2 - Bury 1

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Swansea City:
Goals: 2, Shots: 8, Shots on Target: 4, Tackles: 5, Fouls: 1, Possession: 54%, Shot Accuracy: 50%, Pass Accuracy: 85%
Man of The Match: Ki Sung Yeung (7.8)
Goals scored by Ki Sung Yeung (43) | Andre Ayew (83)

Bury:
Goals: 1, Shots: 6, Shots on Target: 5, Tackles: 18, Fouls: 2, Possession: 46%, Shot Accuracy: 83%, Pass Accuracy: 89%
Man of The Match: Tom Pope (7.1)
Goals scored by Tom Pope (18)

Other Pictures from Swansea City 2 - Bury 1

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Ødegaard being pulled down by Nathan Cameron for pen

[Number999]

Swansea City only get 1 past 9-men reckless Watford

Game Recap: That was pretty hilarious. 11 vs 9 is so unfair.

Watford were simply reckless for this match. They were diving in everywhere and anywhere and it ended up costing them. Their first red card came early on in the 16th minute. Bryan Cristante got taken down on the edge of the box by Allan-Romeo Nyom and was handed a red card by the referee for his sheer inability to take-down his man carefully. Watford would be playing from behind for the rest of the match, the only bright spot for Watford fans was that the last Swansea loss came against a 10-man West Ham side.

But it's not like it got any better from there. Watford were clearly going for a draw since it was gonna be so difficult to defeat this Swansea defense. The task only got exponentially more difficult as Eder was taken out in front of goal by Craig Cathcart who went for the ball but chipped a whole leg of Eder. It was Watford's 2nd red card, and whaddya know, it ended up just devastating Watford. Even with that penalty called though, Swansea City couldn't put the ball away. Andre Ayew stepped up for the penalty and he hit it straight off the crossbar and it bounced right back out. GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Watford's goalie Giedrius Arlauskis was the real MVP for them. He just made huge save after huge save and kept Watford from conceding. He wasn't even responsible for the one goal that was scored. That occurred in the 78th minute, Ki Sung Yeung sent in a hard ground cross to Eder and Eder fired it on goal, Arlauskis dove but it deflected off a diving defender and trickled into the far right corner as Swansea City went ahead 1-0.

While there should be some concern surrounding the fact that Swansea City could only score 1 goal against a 9-man side in Watford, it is believed that you're going to see a major shake-up in Swansea City's lineup moving forward. Ooovaro's name continues to be dropped around everywhere and now that were in the thick and middle of the January Transfer Window, something has to give. Fully expect a monster move in the coming days and maybe just maybe, Swansea City can go ahead and chasedown Chelsea for that #1 spot in the BPL.

Stats from Swansea City 1 - Watford 0

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Other Pictures from Swansea City 1 - Watford

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The 2nd red-card for Watford, now down to 9-men

[Number999]

Stunner: Swansea announce signing of Balde Diao Keita

This is how you make a statement that you're serious.

Felix Ooovaro and Swansea City's name have been thrown around constantly. You can name a variety of potential spots that they could have chased down players. Some names thrown around have been outrageous at some points. A couple of other names have been Bruma, Yusuf Erdogan, and everything else in-between. But, it appears that Swansea have finally found their extra man they can pair up with that elite attacking force they've put together as of late.

That man is 20-year old Balde Diao Keita. Arriving from Lazio of the Serie A, Keita has finally touch-downed in Wales. The Spanish international has been raved about by numerous scouts and it appears that Swansea City have decided to put their best foot forward and lock him down. You can just see how much Ooovaro was gleaming when he was being asked by the media what a player of Keita's caliber brings to the club. He has so much too offer, and Ooovaro made sure everyone knew about it moving forward.

Ooovaro: "He can do everything. He can play any position attacking wise, he's tall, he's strong, he's remarkably quick, he can out-duel defenders 1 on 1, he can whip in a cross for a header, he can make a sneaky pass through some of the greatest defenders in the world. We're thrilled and amazed that we were able to sign him and we truly believe that he's going to be an essential asset moving forward for us. I have no doubt in my mind once our group gets healthy that we're going to have one of the most potent forces in all of the BPL."

Those are some bold words by Ooovaro. While Keita has shown some potential, he is just 20-years old. He's going to need to develop chemistry with his new group and even more so when Breel Embolo comes back. Plus adjusting to the new style of English football is gonna take some time as well. But moving forward, it may indeed end up being a tremendous transaction. The fee that Swansea City reportedly paid for the hopeful future star-man is around 10 million. Less than what was offered for Embolo. Considering his wages, this just seems like a great deal all-around for all parties.

The biggest question in all honesty is a couple of factors in terms of the depth now. The largest of them being what happens with the group when everyone is healthy? You have Balde Diao Keita, Andre Ayew, Breel Embolo, Jefferson Montero, Michu, and Eder. Combine that with the fact you also have to care for the likes of youngsters in Martin Ødegaard and Leroy Sané, it's going to be difficult who's going to get playing time.

It is believed that Swansea are having some difficulties on working out a contract extension with Michu. The 29-year old Spanish man has just 6 months remaining on his current contract and it is believed that he may be exploring options elsewhere. Despite Eder's strong-play, due to his age and not being brought in by Ooovaro, it's plausible he could also be on the move. That would explain the need to bring in Diao Keita and as to why the youngsters will also be featured more often.

But, a more pessimistic view point could go back to the previous rumor regarding Jefferson Montero. The 26-year old while certainly not old is starting to hit the prime of his career. Is it plausible that Ooovaro brought in Diao Keita to replace him and then sell off Montero, and with the new extra money be able to purchase some younger depth for the midfield and defending force? It shouldn't be out of the cards whatsoever, and it's really going to depend upon if Swansea City believes they can still be a competitive force without Montero in their lineup while Embolo and Sane heal up.

[Number999]

Devastation: Montero moves to Dortmund, 18 million fee

As a fan, there's nothing to say other than how devastated you can be.

It's not even Swansea City or Felix Ooovaro's fault. This is bound to happen when you're still an up and building club and trying to gather funds to continue moving assets around. Jefferson Montero performed on the grand stage and he got rewarded for doing that. He got approached by an enormous club who has been able to build up their academy and reputation and were able to pay the high fee that Swansea City desired for his services, as a result, Jefferson Montero has a new club to be playing for.

It was believed that Borussia Dortmund initially offered 14.5 million for the Ecuadorian's services. Swansea City were still fighting to get into positioning for signing some young attackers, and countered with an outrageous 27.5 million in response. Instead of backing out, Dortmund noted that Swansea City had purchased Diao Keita but still wanted to pursue some other young players. As a result, they countered once again with 18 million and this time around Swansea City were willing to accept their proposal.

It still hurts, but you have to give props to Montero. He came to Swansea City with the plan of proving his talents on the football'ing worlds largest stage and he succeeded. He has put Swansea City in a position to potentially make a run at something that never would have been possible without him. That's why you can only thank him for what he did for you and move on from there. Felix Ooovaro spoke with the media on the move and was remarkably honest with the media despite the potential back-lash.

Ooovaro: "It's never easy. Despite my short time here, I felt that was the toughest decision I had to make. I loved working with Montero and he's going to do wonders with Dortmund in the future, and I only hope our fans are happy for him. He put his heart into everything he had out there and now was rewarded with a new destination with new goals and a new focus. We truly wanted to keep him and did everything we could with those intentions in mind, but sometimes these things happen. It's no different than when we purchase players from smaller clubs and they have to go through the same struggle. Our focus is just getting to the point where we're the biggest club."

Brutally honest. Jefferson Montero released a post on Instagram thanking the fans of Swansea as well as his teammates, the organization, and specifically Felix Ooovaro. He learned an abundance amount of information with his team in Swansea and he hopes the team can finish off what they started. He's looking forward to new challenges with Borussia Dortmund, and hopefully they can interact at some point in the near future.

So now.... with the new money, Swansea City have some options. They can certainly play around with the extra money, and let's see if Felix Ooovaro can ease the pain for Swansea City fans in losing their star Ecuadorian. They're gonna need to focus on getting some attacking depth with him gone, and maybe some more names will be exiting the building in the coming days as Ooovaro continues to over-haul the squad.

[Number999]

Boring affair ends in draw with Liverpool and Swansea

Game Recap: That was under-whelming.

Playing at Anfield, Swansea City had a chance to gain an away goal advantage in the Capital One Cup in the Semi-Finals against Liverpool. Sadly, they weren't able to breakthrough. Simon Mignolet was a monster for Liverpool and he threw off any attempts that Swansea City had throughout the entire match. Liverpool on the other hand were able to maintain possession but Swansea never let them fire off a shot in the middle of the box. It was always a difficult angle for them, and for that reason they never went ahead.

Balde Diao Keita made his debut for Swansea City. It honestly felt like he was pressing based on his overall review of the match. Terribly often he gave up possession of the ball and was never able to fire off a shot. Ooovaro is confident that once he gets settled in like Breel Embolo got settled in that he'll be a capable force of a winger for Swansea. The toughest loss of course is without Jefferson Montero, it fell on the shoulders of Andre Ayew to be the man who brings the ball to the center of the pitch but he's also just settling in after returning.

Overall, not the worst result ever. You get a chance at home to play in front of Swansea fans and pull off a stunning upset against Liverpool in the Capital One Cup and advance to the final. Of course it's gonna require one hell of a defensive performance, but Ashley Williams is feeling great, Kaan Ayhan hasn't made a devastating error in the past few games, and the fullbacks kept Daniel Sturridge at bay today.

Now though we return to your regularly scheduled program of nervous transfer window time!

Stats from Liverpool 0 - Swansea City 0

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Other Pictures from Liverpool 0 - Swansea City 0

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