Jono: Break will benefit us
2nd March
Jonathan de Guzman believes a break in the fixture calendar is just what Swansea City need ahead of the Premier League run-in.
The Swans played their eighth game in a month on Sunday when they hosted Crystal Palace at the Liberty Stadium.
Garry Monk's side took a deserved first-half lead thanks to de Guzman's well-taken goal, but were reduced to ten men when Chico Flores was dismissed for bringing down Glenn Murray late on.
Referee Mike Dean adjudged for the foul to take place inside the box and Murray stepped up to convert the penalty as both sides took another step towards Premier League safety.
But due to Arsenal's FA Cup commitments, next weekend's game at the Emirates is due to be rearranged, leaving the Swans with a two-week break ahead of the visit of West Bromwich Albion on March 15.
And de Guzman insists that a break in play will do no harm ahead of the final ten games of the campaign.
"We've played so many games in the past month," he said. "A lot of the players are tired and we've had a few injuries here and there.
"I think this break will give us some recovery time and get us ready for the next game.
"We were a little tired after the game against Napoli but we showed a lot of heart (against Crystal Palace).
"They took advantage of that, played a lot of long balls and with the physicality that they have, I think we struggled a little."
He added: "We did really well in the first half. We moved the ball quickly, got the first goal and controlled it a lot more than them.
"If we had scored the second then I think we would have won, but they played a lot more direct in the second half and were rewarded."