Michael Laudrup is backing his players to bounce back from last week’s defeat and continue their positive start to the season.
The Swans welcome Everton to the Liberty on Saturday lunchtime, on the back of suffering their first reverse of the campaign at Aston Villa.
That 2-0 defeat at Villa Park brought an end to Laudrup’s unbeaten start as Swans boss and he believes the players have the mindset to get back to winning ways.
“Every game is difficult and Saturday is no different,” he said. “We have had a few problems recently with injuries but we have a good squad here and I’m sure we can continue to do well.
“But we have great confidence and as a squad we know what we are capable of.
“It’s a home game, so we will go for it and look to get the win. Overall, we hope to make it a very tough 90 minutes for the opposition.”
Everton began the season in good form with back-to-back wins against Manchester United and Aston Villa, before suffering their first defeat against West Brom.
However, they turned in an impressive performance on Monday night during a pulsating draw with Newcastle to move level on points with the Swans.
David Moyes’s men claimed the double over Swansea last season, and their 2-0 win at the Liberty back in March was seen by many as the most impressive by an away side at SA1 during the entire campaign.
And Laudrup admits that his side are in for a tough test once more this weekend.
“It’s a great challenge,” he said. “They have had great continuity at the club with David Moyes having been there for 10 years now and they know what they want.
“They have great individual quality within the squad, particularly on the left-hand side with Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar.”
Ashley Williams sat out training after picking up a slight knock on his ankle against Villa, but Laudrup expects the Wales international to be fit for the game.
And the Swans boss has also backed the former Stockport man to recover from two recent mistakes against Sunderland and Villa.
“Everyone can have a bad game,” said Laudrup “But it’s always important to give your all for the team, play the way we want and be competitive.
“Ash has a good character and I’m sure he’ll be back to his best at the weekend.”
Last weekend also saw both Pablo Hernandez and Itay Shechter make their Swans debuts, with the Spanish winger looking particularly impressive in the final third.
And Laudrup insisted it was important to have strength in depth as Hernandez battles it out with Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge for a spot on the flanks.
“We have three quality players for two wide positions,” he said. “Two will obviously start and one will drop to the bench.
“But it is important to have these options because it is a long season and things can change very quickly.
“Ki Sung-Yueng has also fitted in well so far and he can play either as a holding midfielder or in a more attacking position, similar to where Jonathan de Guzman has been playing.”
Hear the full interview on Swans Player.
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