We weren't good enough, says Monk
11th February
Garry Monk admitted his side "weren't good enough" after they suffered a 2-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday night.
In a match where chances were few and far between, goals from Brown Ideye and Saido Berahino were enough to condemn Monk's men to defeat at the Hawthorns.
After a goalless first period, Ideye put the hosts in front on the hour-mark, striking low across goal into the bottom corner after Berahino's initial pass deflected off Ashley Williams.
Ideye then turned provider to tee up Berahino, who doubled the Baggies' advantage with a fierce first-time finish past Lukasz Fabianski.
The Swans failed to create any clear-cut chances on the night, and Monk pointed to a lack of intensity in his side's game as a key reason for that.
"We didn't play with any tempo, which is what we need in our game," said Monk. "It's disappointing. We didn't have the intensity, our passing wasn't sharp enough. Overall, the team wasn't good enough tonight. We didn't perform at all.
"Without that intensity and sharpness, we couldn't create anything. We needed to come here and move the ball around quickly, but we missed too many passes and took too many touches.
"We looked bright in the week, we knew we'd have possession, but we were making silly mistakes which invited pressure. You can't do that at this level.
"We paid the price for it. They deserved the win and we didn't deserve anything. You can't turn up to a Premier League game and give the ball away like we did.
"We had the chance to get at them tonight but did didn't take it, which was frustrating. They were patient, and because we weren't threatening, they probably grew in confidence and got the two goals."
He added: "We have a period to work on things, to make sure we perform 100 per cent better against Manchester United in over a week's time. We can't play the way we did tonight against them."
Meanwhile, West Brom coach Dave Kemp singled out goalscorer Ideye for praise in what he believes was Tony Pulis's side's best performance since he and his coaching staff arrived at the club.
"It was a good all round performance by him (Ideye)," said Kemp. "He took his goal well and had a key part to play in our second. He's got himself in the team now and is playing well.
"It was our best team performance. We were good for the whole game in all aspects. If the players can start believing a bit more, we can build on this."
In a match where chances were few and far between, goals from Brown Ideye and Saido Berahino were enough to condemn Monk's men to defeat at the Hawthorns.
After a goalless first period, Ideye put the hosts in front on the hour-mark, striking low across goal into the bottom corner after Berahino's initial pass deflected off Ashley Williams.
Ideye then turned provider to tee up Berahino, who doubled the Baggies' advantage with a fierce first-time finish past Lukasz Fabianski.
The Swans failed to create any clear-cut chances on the night, and Monk pointed to a lack of intensity in his side's game as a key reason for that.
"Without that intensity and sharpness, we couldn't create anything. We needed to come here and move the ball around quickly, but we missed too many passes and took too many touches.
"We looked bright in the week, we knew we'd have possession, but we were making silly mistakes which invited pressure. You can't do that at this level.
"We paid the price for it. They deserved the win and we didn't deserve anything. You can't turn up to a Premier League game and give the ball away like we did.
"We had the chance to get at them tonight but did didn't take it, which was frustrating. They were patient, and because we weren't threatening, they probably grew in confidence and got the two goals."
He added: "We have a period to work on things, to make sure we perform 100 per cent better against Manchester United in over a week's time. We can't play the way we did tonight against them."
Meanwhile, West Brom coach Dave Kemp singled out goalscorer Ideye for praise in what he believes was Tony Pulis's side's best performance since he and his coaching staff arrived at the club.
"It was a good all round performance by him (Ideye)," said Kemp. "He took his goal well and had a key part to play in our second. He's got himself in the team now and is playing well.
"It was our best team performance. We were good for the whole game in all aspects. If the players can start believing a bit more, we can build on this."