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Clement confident of Swansea survival

SoccerNews in General Soccer News 27 Apr 2017

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Paul Clement believes his Swansea City team have turned a corner in their fight against relegation from the Premier League.

Swansea beat Stoke City 2-0 last time out to break a run of six games without a win, although they remained in the drop zone due to Hull City’s victory at home to Watford by the same scoreline.

Clement’s side are two points behind Hull and face a daunting trip to Champions League-chasing Manchester United on Sunday, but, with just four league games of the season remaining, he believes Swansea can stay in the top flight.

“The players showed against Stoke that they can perform even when the anxiety and pressure is high,” Clement told reporters on Thursday.

“I thought they coped really well with the pressure that comes with a must-win game, and that gives me a lot of confidence. Maybe I wouldn’t have been confident if we hadn’t got a result as well as a good performance last weekend. But I think what happened against Stoke has given us all confidence that we have turned a corner.

“We have four games to go, two away and two at home. The players are confident and I am confident that we can go and pick up valuable points in all of them. We hadn’t been performing well before Stoke. The bad run we had lasted a lot longer than we would have liked. But we put that right against Stoke with our performance and our application and, as I say, I hope now we have turned the corner.”

Clement suggested Leon Britton could keep his place in the side, with the club captain having inspired Swansea to their Stoke win by showing his team-mates the club’s documentary Jack to a King.

“He played very well, you can see his influence on the team and his leadership,” Clement said. “He is fit and well, there was no reaction to playing and he will be fit and available.

“I watched [the film] myself with my staff, we had it on the auditorium, you can’t not be inspired by it. It was fantastic and we felt really good coming out of there. Those things, the story and history, I felt inspired watching it. Leon has been club captain and a great influence with the dinners he has taken the players for and he has helped in every way. He is a positive influence and has the best interests of the club and city at heart.

“Those players are absolutely vital. We are little and large on the training ground. He is still a very good player, he takes the ball, controls possession. That helps our style and he is instrumental in that.”

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