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Swansea take big step forward in Bob Bradley's second match
Bob Bradley's debut as Swansea City manager didn't go as planned. Their defense was the same mess it had been all season in a 3-2 loss at Arsenal. But back in Swansea, in front of the home fans for the first time ever, Bradley hoped that his second match would bring about a much better performance.
It did.
Swansea looked, well, competent against Watford. The result still wasn't ideal, but they managed a 0-0 draw so Bradley got his first point in the Premier League. But maybe more important than the point was the scoreline. Specifically the zero for Watford.
The Swans' horrific defense kept a clean sheet, their first since the opening match of the season. It wasn't one down to luck either. Swansea legitimately defended well and limited Watford's opportunities. Watford aren't an impotent team either, having scored 13 goals this season, which puts them in the top half of the league. There really isn't anything that can be said to diminish Swansea's clean sheet. They simply defended well.
Alfie Mawson was at the heart of the defense and the 22-year-old was excellent in his Swansea debut. Bob Bradley praised Mawson after the match, saying that Mawson had trained excellently over the last couple weeks and carried that into the match. If Mawson can continue to play as well as he did against Watford, it could be just what the Swans need. They've struggled since selling Ashley Williams in the summer and while Mawson won't be Williams, at least not right away, a dependable centerback would go a long way to sorting out Swansea's defensive issues.
Swansea probably deserved all three points from the contest, with a few fine Heurelho Gomes saves and the post standing between them and a win, but Bradley will be happy with the progress the Swans have made in just two weeks since he took over. They're still in the relegation zone, but if Saturday showed us anything, it's that Swansea are already making big strides.
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