Vitor Matos | We are building something special together

Head coach Vitor Matos believes his Swansea City side are "building something special" together as they continue to develop a clear identity under his guidance, but has warned there is still plenty of hard work and room for improvement ahead.

The Swans are enjoying their best start to a league campaign since 2019-20, when they went unbeaten through their opening six matches.

Tuesday night's impressive 2-0 victory over Watford saw Swansea climb to the summit of the Championship after four games for the first time since 2020, while the nature of the performance has led to comparisons with some of the club's most memorable sides of recent years.

Matos has been delighted with the early results and the quality of Swansea’s football, but knows there is still plenty of work to do as his side continue to develop their identity.

“I always watch the games back. That’s part of my role as well – to watch and analyse, try to improve things and understand why some things were not as good as we wanted," he said, reflecting on the win over Watford.

“There were a lot of positives.I was really happy with a lot of the things we did with the ball.

“But maybe I also enjoy some of the parts that not a lot of people speak about. That was the desire, the tackles, the pressing, the ugly bits of football that mean a lot.

“I think when we can put that type of performance together with the ball, that part still needs to be there because that’s what makes us strong.”

Upon arriving in Swansea last November, the Portuguese spoke about his desire to restore the identity associated with Swansea, and believes the early signs are encouraging.

“I think Swansea always had a style that, when everyone closes their eyes and you start thinking about Swansea, it is the style and the DNA of the club," he added. 

“You always get some images in your mind.

“So my view and my idea was always that we need to get as close to that as possible, to build back that DNA, use that as a strength to link everyone properly, create a connection between everyone at the club with a clear vision and a clear idea.

“We are on the way and we see moments of that. In the last games, we are much closer.

“But football is about moments. Football is always flowing in different directions. It’s up to us to take care of that, and I think that’s what we need to do now.

“We have something special growing. We have something that everyone feels proud of.

“Now it’s up to us to still take care of that because football is quite unpredictable, and we need to understand the whys more than focus on the good things in terms of the now.”