Swansea City: Can manager Paul Clement repeat his relegation escape act?

For the third season in a row Swansea are going to be in the Premier League relegation zone at Christmas.

Anything less than a win over Crystal Palace on 23 December will see them bottom of the table on 25 December for the second season running.

Their 3-1 defeat at Everton on Monday night left them bottom of the table with only 12 points from 18 games in which they have scored only 10 goals.

It is a similar predicament to the one that saw head coach Paul Clement appointed in January 2017 and one which now threatens his position at the helm of the Welsh club.

His predecessors Bob Bradley and Garry Monk were both sacked as Swansea manager in December.

So can Swansea pull off another escape, or will it be three strikes and down for the Liberty Stadium side?

And will Clement survive to see the the battle through to the end?

What the pundits think

Former Wales internationals Kevin Ratcliffe (L) and Iwan Roberts

Former Wales internationals Kevin Ratcliffe and Iwan Roberts watch Swansea City regularly as part of their roles as football experts for BBC Sport Wales.

Iwan Roberts: "I think it's going to be hard for Paul now. Even though they are losing games he's improved them defensively. But they just can't score and they keep shooting themselves in the foot.

"They've got a huge, huge game on Saturday now against Palace; if they don't win that then maybe a change is what's needed.

"They're not bad defensively, they just can't score - what, 10 goals in the Premier League this season? I don't know any manager with that group of players who could improve them going forward in an attacking style."

Kevin Ratcliffe: "It needs to change at the top. It's just not working for the lad. Whatever he's tried it's just not good enough.

"I do fear for Paul Clement's future, it's not nice to talk about managers losing their jobs, but you've got to think of the football club.

"You've got to think where it wants to be and at this moment in time this club is going to be in the Championship next season."

The former players

The goals and creativity of Gylfi Sigurdsson (2nd from R) helped save Swansea in 2016-17 but he was sold to Everton

Wales captain Ashley Williams and Iceland midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson have been big-name departures from the Liberty Stadium to Everton in the past two summers and they both played in the 3-1 defeat of their former club this week.

Gylfi Sigurdsson: "It's a little bit similar to last season. They've got the players and I was saying to the boys earlier it's just a matter of getting one or two results back to back and they'll get the confidence, I am sure. I don't see why not they're not capable of getting out of this.

"A few weeks ago we [Everton] were 18th. But we got the results and everything changes and you can build on that, the confidence comes back into the team and I think that's how you turn it around.

"The only good thing is they have got the experience from last season and the year before, so I'm pretty sure they'll get a result soon and when they do they'll kick on."

Ashley Williams played nearly 350 games for Swansea before his move to Everton in 2016

Ashley Williams: "I don't know [Paul Clement] but he seems like a good guy. Speaking to the boys they really like him and they want to do their best for him.

"Everyone I spoke to only has good things to say about him and you don't want to see anyone lose their job, but it is part and parcel of football. We've had to go through it this season twice so I don't know what will happen with them.

"I've been in that position loads of times with Swansea and they've always got out. They got out last season and we found ourselves [Everton] down the wrong end too, and it ain't that long ago.

"Now we're in the top half so you have to do what you know is right."

And history says...

Only four times have teams bottom at Christmas avoided relegation from the Premier League.

West Bromwich Albion were the first to do it in 2004-05, followed by Sunderland in 2013-14 and Leicester City the next season.

Swansea pulled it off last term, but ominously no club has ever managed to do it twice - though Leicester did manage to win the title a year after pulling off their great escape.