Swansea City

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Swansea City are being dragged closer and closer to a Championship relegation battle as they continue to struggle under new boss Luke Williams.

Defeat by Ipswich Town on Saturday was Swansea’s fifth in their last six league games, with Williams winning just one league match since being appointed head coach.

The Swans have taken only four points from a possible 21 since Williams took charge in early January, though they have played the Championship's top four teams in that run.

After the match we asked for your views on BBC Radio Wales' Call Rob Phillips show, and this is what you had to say.

Darren - I fear for us now. We are in a terrible run. We can't defend and seem devoid of any fight. What worries me is Sunderland away up next and I reckon Cardiff doing the double over us could be disastrous.

Toby - To be honest I think we played so much better [against Ipswich] than on Tuesday [against Leeds], but we shouldn't be four points off relegation. I still have hope though.

Will - It's something different every week. This week our centre-halves were both very poor. Most of our players aren't up to speed. We are let down by having a very poor squad overall.

Steve - Swansea City are a poor Championship team. It's sad to say it and sad to see, but they [the owners] have done this to the club.

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On the latest episode of the Elis James and John Robins podcast, Elis James imagines scoring a winner for his football club Swansea City as part of this week's Made Up Game.

You can find more episodes of the Elis James and John Robins podcast here.

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Head coach Luke Williams is in “no doubt” that Swansea City are capable of pulling clear of Championship relegation danger despite their dreadful form.

Defeat by Ipswich Town on Saturday was Swansea’s fifth in their last six league games.

The Swans have taken only four points from a possible 21 since Williams was appointed on 5 January, though they have played - and lost to - all the second tier’s top-four clubs during that sequence.

With 13 league games remaining, Swansea have now faced all the Championship’s automatic promotion hopefuls at home and away.

And Williams says that is reason for optimism.

"I look at the games we have played against the teams who are not in the top four and we had a really good chance to win those games,” he said.

“If we improve our level, we have a great chance to win games before the end of the season, I have got no doubt.”

Swansea will go to Sunderland next Saturday looking to respond to back-to-back home losses, with Ipswich’s hard-fought triumph following Leeds’ romp in south Wales last Tuesday.

Assessing his brief reign to date, Williams said: “We played Southampton, Bournemouth [in the FA Cup], Leicester in a row. That was very, very difficult.

“Take out Leeds and in the other games we have been very competitive.

“We shouldn’t lose to Plymouth. We were two minutes away from winning at Birmingham.

“We deserved to win at Hull and we did. Against Ipswich we are in the game, but we need to get over the line and win the games when we have a really good chance.

“We didn’t give ourselves a chance to win the other games because the opposition blew us away.”

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Luke Williams says Swansea City must “play every second of the game” if they are to pull clear of the Championship relegation places.

Swansea have slipped to 18th in the table, just four points clear of 22nd-placed Queens Park Rangers, after defeat by Ipswich Town on Saturday.

It was a fifth loss in the last six league games for Williams’ ailing side, and came courtesy of soft goals from Nathan Broadhead and Conor Chaplin.

Only bottom-club Rotherham and Blackburn Rovers have conceded more Championship goals this season than Swansea, who have been breached 54 times in 33 second-tier games.

“We have to concentrate better,” Williams said after the Ipswich defeat.

“And this thing about scoring and then being desperate to concede immediately because it’s too scary to be on level terms or something… We work really hard to get back in the game after giving the goal away.

“Then OK let’s stand in the middle of the pitch and cross our fingers. That’s not a tactic.

“We have to improve, we have to play every second of the game.

“I love the commitment of the players and I love working with them. They are a good group.

“They have had a tough time and they have to learn to play every second of the game.”

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Josh Tymon believes he's finding his best form under Luke Williams following a tough start after joining Swansea City from Stoke City last summer.

The Swans struggled to adapt to former boss Michael Duff's methods in the opening half of the campaign - with the ex-Burnley defender being sacked in December.

But Tymon has received praise for his performances under new boss Williams in recent weeks, and the left-back feels starting games consistently will only ensure he continues to improve.

"It took me time to adapt when I first arrived," he said.

"When I first got here, I wasn't performing to the best I can do. It takes time, I was at Stoke a long time.

"The last few weeks, getting that consistent run of games I think has helped me. Performances are only going to get better."

And on Williams, Tymon commented: "I've loved every minute. The passion and detail he puts into his work is something I've never seen before.

"Adapting to how he wants to play is going to take time. The lads need to get used to that, but in terms of him as a manager, he's unbelievable."

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Welcome to your new-look Swansea City page!

The Swans will now benefit from bigger and better online coverage than ever before.

This new, interactive topic page provides a one-stop shop for all the best digital content about the club, including insight and analysis from journalists and pundits across the BBC, fan views, team selectors, quizzes and more.

And, of course, you also get your fixtures, results, tables and player stats.

If you're reading this on the BBC Sport app, just hit the "Follow" button at the top of the page and you'll be served more Swansea content when you log on. And you can go one better by pressing the bell icon and opting to receive news alerts about the latest news on the club. Do this and the best content will find its way to you.

If you don't use the app and instead operate on a web browser, hit "follow" at the top and you'll see more of your club content. Make sure you're signed in to the BBC website to get that "follow" option.

You can follow your club more closely than every before on BBC Sport.

This detailed club page will bring you not just news but opinion, analysis and fan comment from those close to the club.

Take a look at the video below, press 'follow' at the top of the page or hit the bell icon to get push alerts on your club if you're using the BBC Sport app.

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After picking up one Championship win in six games, head coach Luke Williams and his team are under pressure to deliver victories as Swansea City look to pull clear of a potential relegation scrap.

Tuesday's 4-0 defeat against Leeds United highlighted the difference between the Swans and the Championship's promotion-chasing sides.

Unfortunately for Swansea, they face fourth-placed Ipswich Town this weekend.

We asked you what changes should be made, and here is what you had to say.

Leon: Put Matt Grimes back where he belongs, in the area between the halfway line and 18-yard box. He's no good further forward. All previous managers played him there and was at his best. Also give Mykola Kuharevich a go.

Callum: Last weekend we kept trying to send in crosses to Liam Cullen when we have Mykola Kuharevich sat on the bench. In my opinion Cullen would suit a deeper role in attacking midfield.

Charlie: Swansea need to first sort out their defence because if you carry on leaking goals like that then they are not going to out-score their opponents. Therefore, I think they need a quality centre-back and holding midfielder to support Grimes.

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Swansea City's tough run of games continues this weekend.

The Swans have played the Championships' top three - as well as Premier League Bournemouth in the FA Cup - in the last five weeks.

And now the Swans welcome fourth-place Ipswich Town to the Swansea.com Stadium.

Ipswich are coming off a 4-0 win over Millwall while Swansea tasted defeat by the same scoreline against Leeds on Tuesday.

So what needs to change for the Swans? And which players should be given a chance? Have your say here.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

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Swansea City are struggling at the moment, and have won just one Championship game under Luke Williams.

Earlier today we asked for your take on the club's current situation and Tuesday's 4-0 loss against Leeds United.

Here's what you had to say.

Robert: It appears to be the same old story where another manager has come in and is not able to get the players to gel with each other. Why have they not gone for a more high-profile manager when they had the opportunity? There doesn't appear to be any ambition to move the club forward.

Pete: My concern is that Swansea has become little more than a development facility with no ambition for improvement from the owners. It is a shop window for other teams to cherry-pick - the current Leeds squad is a good example of that.

Mark: That is what you can expect when you sell all your quality and replace with cheap or free signings. As for the current sub-standard loan players, send them back.

Gavin: I witnessed a team last night who were ready for Premier League football against a team who are going to be lingering in the depths of the Championship or lower for years to come with this current team.

Ben: If we give Luke Williams a bit of time to embed his way of playing and get a few more players in, we'll be right as rain. As yet, this sort of result against Leeds is going to be part and parcel of our development.

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Luke Williams hopes Bashir Humphreys will be fit for Swansea City’s Championship meeting with Ipswich Town on Saturday after the on-loan Chelsea defender was forced off in Tuesday’s 4-0 thrashing by Leeds.

Humphreys was withdrawn due to a fitness issue after 78 minutes against Leeds.

But Williams says the 20-year-old could yet be available to face Ipswich, and that veteran Kyle Naughton will also be a starting option at the weekend.

Naughton, 35, began on the bench against Leeds having come off in last weekend’s win at Hull with cramp.

Swansea have a host of fitness problems on the right side of defence, with Josh Key, Harrison Ashby, Harry Darling, Azeem Abdulai and Sam Parker all sidelined.

“We have an assessment for Bashir [on Wednesday], maybe it’s nothing too serious,” said Swansea boss Williams.

“Kyle Naughton's not picked up many minutes. He was incredible in the Hull game.

“He came on against Leeds and looked good. I think we're going to be OK. But I think Bashir has a chance to be fine for the weekend.”

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Swansea's recent struggles continued on Tuesday evening as they were comprehensively beaten 4-0 at home against Leeds United.

New boss Luke Williams now has just one victory in six, though that has included facing the top three sides in the league, and Swansea are back down to 17th.

Crysencio Summerville, ex-Swan Joel Piroe and two goals from Wilfried Gnonto gave Leeds victory on the night.

What have you made of Swansea's form of late? Have your say here.

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Daniel James is available to face former club Swansea City on Tuesday night, Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has confirmed.

The Wales winger missed the Whites' wins over Bristol City and Rotherham United owing to a hip injury.

But Farke revealed the 26-year-old is fit to be involved against his previous employers at the Swansea.com Stadium.

"He's back in training and also available for the trip," Farke said of James.

"It's definitely good news to have Daniel back. He was fantastic in terms of end product before his injury."

James will be returning to Swansea for the first time since leaving the club to join Manchester United in 2019.

He is set to join former Swans Joel Piroe, Joe Rodon and Connor Roberts in lining up against his old club.

Sam Byram will not be included in the Leeds squad due to a minor muscle problem while Jamie Shackleton is absent due to "private reasons".

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Luke Williams’ start to life as Swansea City head coach has been far from simple, but the former Notts County boss says his players now feel ready to compete with the Championship’s top teams.

That is just as well, really, given that Swansea host Leeds United on Tuesday, then welcome Ipswich Town to Wales next weekend.

Swansea claimed their first league win under Williams courtesy of an encouraging display at Hull City on Saturday.

Prior to the weekend, the Swans had taken only one point from four league fixtures since Williams took charge, thanks to a 2-2 draw at Birmingham City.

After that came fairly comprehensive defeats to Southampton and Leicester City – the current top two – before a frustrating home loss to Plymouth Argyle, when Swansea missed a host of chances.

Now come Leeds, who are third, and fourth-placed Ipswich.

“The feeling in the changing room is that they believe they are on to something and they can compete with the top sides in the division,” Williams said.

“And now we have a chance in the very near future to test ourselves.

“Southampton were incredible [against us in] the first 45 minutes. They blew us away.

“Leicester were fantastic as well but I think what we learned in the Southampton game helped us to be more competitive.

“It was still nowhere near enough, but maybe we have learned from those two games, from the Plymouth game and from Hull.

“We are going up against an opposition with that similar type of quality and maybe we are in a different place - but we’ll see.”

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Gareth Vincent, BBC Sport Wales

Defeat at Hull City on Saturday would have left Swansea City only four points clear of the Championship’s bottom three with two demanding home fixtures to come this week.

The tough assignments are still coming, of course, with Leeds United and their band of Swansea old boys coming to Wales on Tuesday night before Ipswich Town visit next weekend.

But it is remarkable how one good result can lighten the mood at a football club – and the challenge now for Luke Williams’ team is to build on their 1-0 triumph at MKM Stadium.

Liam Rosenior was critical of his players after Liam Cullen’s goal had secured a win which leaves Swansea seven points clear of the drop zone, suggesting Hull had been guilty of “over-confidence” as they took on opponents who had been struggling for form.

But regardless of Hull’s display, Swansea deserved credit for what was their most complete performance in some time.

There was a clean sheet - the first in the Championship under Williams and only the sixth in 31 league games this season – with goalkeeper Carl Rushworth enjoying a largely peaceful afternoon.

On top of that, Williams’ team produced another bright attacking display which might have secured a more comfortable margin of victory.

The biggest positive of Swansea’s display was the combination of balance, pace and attacking threat offered by their two new wide players, Przemyslaw Placheta on the left and Ronald down the right.

Their presence meant opportunities for others to thrive, with Matt Grimes and Jay Fulton dominant in midfield and Josh Tymon impressing once more with his surges forward from left-back.

Kyle Naughton also put in another impressive shift at right-back, with the veteran’s late substitution because of injury the one black mark on a much brighter day for Williams’ team.