Paul Clement: Swansea City will survive in this form

16th March

Paul Clement has called for more of the same from his Swansea City players as they set out on the final push for Premier League survival.
Clement was left frustrated by the manner of his team's 2-1 defeat at Hull City last weekend, which left them just three points clear of the relegation zone.
But ahead of Saturday's trip to Bournemouth, the Swans head coach insists there is no need for panic.
While he is keen to eliminate the errors which led to the Hull reverse, Clement remains confident his side can pull clear of the bottom three.



"The players know that we have picked up 15 points in nine games since the turn of the year," he pointed out.
"We have 10 games to go. If we pick up the same sort of number of points, we will be fine.
"There's absolutely no need to panic. We have done really well over the last eight or nine weeks and there's no need to lose confidence because one result didn't go our way.
"I don't know exactly what it will take to survive. If you look back at past seasons, you can stay up with 36 points or go down with 42. 
"I think the average is somewhere close to 38, but who knows what it will be this year. We just have to get as many points to make sure we don't end up going down with 42."



The Swans have been boosted by news that Fernando Llorente (dead leg) and Kyle Naughton (hamstring) should both be fit to feature at Bournemouth.
But Martin Olsson is set to miss the Cherries clash with the ankle problem he suffered at Hull, with Clement revealing that Stephen Kingsley will start at left-back on the South Coast.
"Fernando is okay, he is training with the group, as is Kyle Naughton," he added.
"Martin Olsson has not returned to training and is unlikely to play. 
"Stephen will play at left-back. He is a good young player. He has been involved with his national team and has experience of playing at this level.
"He is a very good replacement for Martin and we are more than confident in his ability."
Kingsley will come into a Swans side Clement expects to be much more compact this weekend than they were at the KCOM Stadium.



"We have reflected on Hull and it was very clear where we didn't do so well," he said.
"We need to improve defensively. We did some quite good things offensively at Hull, but defensively we were too open, not just for the two goals but throughout the game.
"The spaces between our players were too big. The players understand that and we are ready to go. 
"We have worked on it and we will be better in that area this weekend, that's for sure."

Clement on the relegation picture
"We were nowhere near safe before Hull or after the game, and more than likely we will not be safe until right up to the end of the season.
"We have opportunities in every game to try to win points. We did very well in January and into February. 
"We were disappointed with the Hull result but we are still confident. We have 10 games to go and there is still going to be a lot of movement."



Clement on Bournemouth
"Josh King is in form. He is quick and he is taking his chances. It will be interesting to see if they go with two strikers - him and (Benik) Afobe - as they have done in the last couple of games, or with (Jack) Wilshere.
"Whichever way they go, they are good players and Bournemouth are a good side.
"They play good football. They have had a bit of a difficult moment but they got a draw with 10 men at Manchester United and then had a good win against West Ham, so they will be confident."

Clement on complacency after the Swans' good run
"I don't sense that at all. The players are very focused and are working hard - we just didn't deliver at Hull. That can happen.
"But that's gone now. We have worked on improving where we need to and now we look forward to the next game.
"We are in good shape. It was difficult earlier in the week because we were disappointed with the Hull result and we had picked up some injuries, but we are in good shape now and we're confident."



Clement on the Swans Under-23s' PL2 Division 2 title success
"Big congratulations go to them for winning their division. They play good football and there are some good players in that group.
"It's excellent for them to have won the league and also it's good for next season because they will play against better opposition."