Vitor Matos looking for energy on and off the pitch
Vitor Matos has called for energy on and off the pitch as his Swansea City side prepare to face Sheffield Wednesday this afternoon in a game where the head coach predicts the small details will be crucial (12.01pm).
The Swans host the Owls at the Swansea.com Stadium with a chance to extend their unbeaten run on home turf to seven games, having taken 16 points from the last 18 available in SA1.
Wednesday, meanwhile, have endured a miserable campaign following a series of punishments and points deductions owing to financial irregularities.
They have secured just one league victory all season, and have lost their last seven games in all competitions and failed to score in eight.
But Matos has warned his side that the respective records will count for nothing come kick-off, and he wants another high-energy showing that the home support can respond to.
“What has happened in the past does not mean anything for the future, that’s the truth,” he said.
“So it is more important for us that we go into this game prepared to put in a good performance against a team who are in a hard situation but who have always stayed in games and fought until the end.
“They have always found a way to compete, even if they have lost games the numbers have been close, and that says a lot, especially about a team in that position.
“So they will have our full respect and we are not thinking this will be an easy game, this will be a game where we need to celebrate all the small details that add up to make the difference.
“We need to celebrate the proper tackle, we need to celebrate the good press, and we need to celebrate a good cross or someone being willing to take on a good shot from out of the box, and we hope that the stadium goes with us on that.
“It’s a game at an unusual time of the day and I think if we can have the energy in the stadium where our crowd understands the small things that can be really important for this game then that will be massive, and that’s what we all want.”