No time for patience as Swans face key games

Vitor Matos suggested after Swansea City's defeat at West Bromwich Albion that he had seen "glimpses of what we can build from".

He may have a point, but his new team are not in a position where they can patiently wait for progress.

Swansea's alarming collapse in form means they need rapid results.

In fact, their next two fixtures, at home to Oxford United and Portsmouth, look about as significant as they can be given that they will be played in early December.

Swansea have slipped to 21st in the Championship after suffering a fifth successive league defeat this weekend.

They are only above Portsmouth, in 22nd, courtesy of a slight advantage in the goal difference column.

Oxford, meanwhile, are a place and a point above Swansea after they toppled Ipswich Town on Friday night.

Swansea must hope that at some stage this season, they can emulate Oxford by getting the better of some of the clubs who are in the top echelons of the division.

Their four wins so far, after all, have come against four of the sides who are currently in the second tier's bottom seven.

They play the two they have not yet faced in their next two matches.

With 28 league fixtures still to play in 2025-26, it is surely too early to talk about must-win games.

But it is fair to suggest that Swansea are in desperate need of a couple of results to restore some of the belief and confidence which has ebbed away in the last three months.

The manner of Swansea's capitulation at The Hawthorns, after two fine goals in the first 12 minutes had put them in a commanding position, was worrying if not that surprising.

From the moment Aune Heggebo made it 2-1 two minutes into the second half, a West Brom victory looked close to inevitable, so it was no shock when Jayson Molumby scored the home side's winner five minutes from time.

There were few excuses for Swansea, either.

Matos had a full squad available, and the Swans were taking on an Albion team in poor form who were woeful before half-time.

To end up with nothing in such circumstances is particularly concerning for a Swansea side who expected much better this season.

With daunting away games at Stoke City and Coventry City around the corner – either side of a home encounter with in-form Wrexham – Matos' team could really do with positive results when they host Oxford next Saturday and Pompey three days later.