TALKING TACTICS: Swansea City's season so far

Having started the season in impressive fashion, the official Swansea City website has partnered up with football stats experts WhoScored.com to analyse the campaign so far.
 
Garry Monk's side are one of three teams yet to fall to defeat in England's top tier this term, with the Swans currently occupying fourth spot as we head into the first international break of the campaign.
Such impressive early season form has helped Swansea gain a WhoScored.com rating of 7.00 - the third best return in the Premier League - and they will take confidence into the brief hiatus with a view to maintaining their impressive performances thus far.
The whole team is pulling in the right direction and this has translated to a series of fine showings on the pitch, none more so than from midfield lynchpin Jonjo Shelvey.
The 23-year-old was rewarded for his fine start to the season with a return to the England squad for the upcoming international meetings with San Marino and Switzerland.
Shelvey's WhoScored.com rating (7.58) is the second best of all Swansea players and the 12th best in the Premier League. It's fair to say the midfielder is more than deserving of his place in Roy Hodgson's latest squad.



Of course, goals have eluded Shelvey so far, though it's not for want of trying, but an inability to hit the back of the net has been covered by the impressive showings of Bafétimbi Gomis and summer signing André Ayew.
Gomis, in particular, has excelled as Swansea's star striker. No player has netted more goals than the Frenchman (four) in the Premier League this season, with Gomis the only player to net in all four matches last month.
His tally of ten goals in 2015 is bettered by only three players following what has been a superb start to the season for the 30-year-old.
Gomis is not only Swansea's joint-highest rated player with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.65 - that figure is better than every striker in the Premier League and ranks among the top ten players in England's top tier.
His rating is level with Jefferson Montero, who has been a key member of the Swansea starting XI this season. After drifting in and out of the team last season, the Ecuador international has nailed down a starting spot when fit, having tormented opposition defences in his three league appearances this term.
The breakthrough star, dubbed by many the signing of the summer, though, is Ayew. He already has three goals to his name, an impressive return for any player at this early stage, let alone a debutant in English football.
Only two Premier League newboys have gained a better WhoScored.com rating than Ayew (7.50), who has made an immediate impact following his move from Marseille. The Ghanaian's goal against Chelsea on the opening day of the campaign signalled his quality and Ayew has quickly endeared himself to the Swans faithful.



However, it's the old guard that is providing the defensive solidity, with captain Ashley Williams once again excelling at the heart of the Swansea backline.
His WhoScored.com rating (7.57) ranks fourth of all players at the club, while that figure was enough to feature in WhoScored's Premier League team of the month for August alongside Chris Smalling in defence.
The reassurance he brings to the side has aided Swansea and their impressive start to the campaign, with his recent showing in the 2-1 win over Manchester United earning the WhoScored.com man of the match award.
Praise must also go to Jack Cork, who has formed a solid partnership in the middle of the park alongside Shelvey.
The 26-year-old replaced Ki Sung-Yueng midway through the 2-2 draw with Chelsea on the first day of the campaign and has not looked back since, starting each of the last three league games.
Cork has made more interceptions (19) than any other player in the Premier League this season, reinforcing his notable reading of the game as he looks to control the proceedings in midfield alongside Shelvey.
Swansea have certainly enjoyed an impressive start to the season, of that there is no doubt. With the current crop of players in Monk's squad working together effectively, the Swans look to have the chance to better last season's eigth-placed finish and break past the 56-point mark they achieved in the process.

*WhoScored.com is a unique website and one of the fastest growing in the sports industry, specialising in the in-depth analysis of detailed football data. Provided with unique stats, they compile and create comprehensive analysis on the major European divisions, including live match stats and player ratings. You can follow @WhoScored and their editorial assistant Ben McAleer on Twitter.