Kyle Naughton: Teamwork makes the dream work

11th September

Kyle Naughton believes partnerships on the pitch and friendships off it have played a key role in the Swans' promising start to the campaign.
Garry Monk's side remain unbeaten after four games, with the Swans picking up wins over Newcastle and Manchester United along with draws at defending champions Chelsea and Sunderland.
Monk was shortlisted for the Barclays Premier League's Manager of the Month for August, while Andre Ayew scooped the Player award after scoring three goals in four games.
It has signalled a great start for the Swans ahead of Saturday's trip to newly-promoted Watford, and Naughton believes the camaraderie within the squad is a big factor in their early success.



"When you have a team that works and fights for each other then it's special for everyone involved," said Naughton, who joined from Tottenham Hotspur in January.
"It's about how well everyone gets on. You could be at a club where there are two or three players that don't really speak much to the others, but you don't find that at Swansea.
"When I got here, I didn't expect everything to be as nice and relaxing as it is. Living in London, you feel like you don't stop even when you're not at football.
"Here, you have the beach on your front doorstep and you can go for some lovely food and relax. There is always a birthday party for one of the lads' children to go to, and that is part of the reason why everyone gets on. We are as much friends off the pitch as team-mates on it.
"It's a massive thing for me. It shows that on the pitch everyone has each other's backs."
He added: "At other clubs there will be some outstanding players who get a lot of the focus and limelight, while here it is different.
"Yes, Andre and Bafe (Gomis) get the headlines due to their goals while there's (Jefferson) Montero doing his thing on the wing. But we all see Jack Cork running his socks off in midfield while Ash controls the defence and Lukasz is a massive part for us too. From keeper to striker, we all appreciate what each player brings to the game-plan.
"We don't have a team of 11 players here. It really is a squad where everyone helps get that result on a matchday."



Despite the promising start, the Swans head to Vicarage Road to face a Watford side that has only tasted defeat once in four league games.
That loss came last time out against early leaders Manchester City, and Naughton insists the Swans will be fully focussed for the test against Quique Flores' side.
"We've gone into the season all guns blazing. To be unbeaten after four games signals a good start for us," said the right-back.
"I'm not surprised by our start because from my first day here I realised how good a team we have.
"But we are expecting a big test at Watford. They've signed a lot of new players and that can take time for the unit to gel, but they've started well with three draws from four games.
"The mentality, for us, remains the same. It doesn't matter if it's Manchester United or Watford, we go into the game with the same mentality.
"With the quality we have got we believe we can beat any team in this division, as we have proved against United.
"Hopefully we will put in a performance deserving of another three points on Saturday."

READ MORE . . .


Club
Home

Related News