Bartley dreaming of League Cup final

Swansea defender Kyle Bartley hopes his performance in the loss to Liverpool has not harmed his chances of playing in Sunday’s League Cup final.

Swansea defender Kyle Bartley hopes his performance in the loss to Liverpool has not harmed his chances of playing in Sunday’s League Cup final.

The 21-year-old was making his first Premier League start for the Swans since joining from Arsenal in the summer.

Liverpool put five goals past the hapless Swansea, as Steven Gerrard, Coutinho, Jose Enrique, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge all netted to give their former manager a convincing win at Anfield.

Bartley had been filling in alongside Swansea stalwart Gary Monk in a weakened Swansea side, and will be hoping for a starting berth at Wembley in light of Chico Flores’ ongoing ankle injury.

“It’s a massive game and one that I want to play in. I’m not going to lie, I’ll be massively disappointed if I’m not playing,” the young defender said.

“Losing 5-0 at Liverpool wasn’t ideal because I am trying to win a place for the weekend, but I’ll assess my performance and see what I can improve.

“Whenever you concede five you’ve got to look at yourself as a central defender and we’ll have a look at what we can do better and hopefully it won’t happen again.”

It has not been an easy time for Bartley since making the permanent move to the Welsh club, featuring just five times in all competitions.

The youngster does, however, have a lot of confidence in his own ability and is looking forward to the occasion.

He continued: “I feel I’ve done myself justice in the games I’ve played this season and hopefully that will be enough to get the nod.

“It would be my first experience of a cup final, like a lot of the boys, and it would be a huge occasion for me.”