Luke Williams: Swansea City boss aims to 'bridge gap' to Championship's top sides
- Published
Defeat to Leeds means Swansea have lost five of their last six games in all competitions
Luke Williams believes Swansea City can take inspiration from Ipswich Town as they look to close the "enormous" gap to the Championship's top sides.
Swansea suffered their latest emphatic defeat to a promotion contender as they were thrashed 4-0 by Leeds on Tuesday.
Williams says his team must find a way to compete with the division's leading clubs, as Ipswich have done this term.
"If you look at the top sides - Southampton, Leicester, Leeds - the gulf is enormous," said the Swans boss.
"If we want to try to do something, we will have to become outstanding at playing a style of football and maybe we can start to bridge the gap."
Swansea must attempt to respond to the Leeds mauling when they host fourth-placed Ipswich this Saturday.
Having been in the top two alongside runaway leaders Leicester for much of the season, Ipswich have been overhauled by Leeds and Southampton in recent weeks having won only one - and drawn six - of their last nine Championship games.
Yet it has been a fine campaign for Kieran McKenna's team, who returned to the Championship after four years away by finishing second in League One last season.
Asked about the prospect of Ipswich providing another stern challenge for Swansea, Williams said: "That's exactly what I have been talking about.
"Leeds are full of elite players for this level, for sure.
"I am not sure how many of the Ipswich players get in the Leeds side, but they are doing something together extremely well and that can be enough to compete, even if the overall quality of an opponent is higher.
"You can compete if you do something extremely well and commit to it."
Swansea came into the Leeds game having claimed their first league victory under Williams - at the fifth attempt - at Hull last weekend.
But the encouraging signs on show at the MKM Stadium were overshadowed as Swansea were ripped apart by Daniel Farke's Leeds.
Swansea were beaten 3-1 at Elland Road earlier this season, while they have twice lost 3-1 to Leicester in 2023-24.
Liam Cullen was sent off as Swansea were beaten 3-2 at Ipswich in November
They also went down 3-1 at home to Southampton, while their trip to St Mary's in December ended in a 5-0 hammering.
Williams described Leeds as "outstanding" but felt the opposition's quality did not excuse his team's weak display.
"We were so hesitant and timid at times," he said.
"The team was not in a great place when I came here. You have to try to make a difference. I want us to practise playing a higher level of football, a different model of football.
"But it doesn't matter how you play if you don't compete properly - it's very difficult to win.
"It's difficult enough when they move the ball brilliantly and they find the space and pass to each other brilliantly.
"But when you do get close you have to compete. If you look at the way they applied pressure to our back line, that's the difference. That's what top level looks like in the Championship."