Match Zone

Potter focuses on what needs improving rather than Preston’s gifted penalty decision

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Swansea City were denied another three points on their travels at Preston today as the referee awarded the home side with a controversial penalty decision shortly after Baker-Richardson’s opening goal.

Many managers throughout the game would be talking about the decision to award Preston a penalty for handball against Connor Roberts but Graham Potter focused on his own team’s performance and how they need to improve.

He was honest as usual and admitted that his side didn’t do enough in the final third. The goal was our only decent chance on goal but other than that there was little to get excited about – for both sides.

We dominated possession with 60% but a lot of the game was played in and around the middle third. The Swans were more patient in their build-up compared to Preston’s direct style.

It felt at times as if Swansea were going through the motions. Their build-up play lacked intensity and against a well-structured and organised Preston side, Potter’s Swans needed to switch the play away from congested areas and move the ball quicker.

Some fans might also argue that Potter made his subs too late in the game. Things went a bit flat after our goal early in the second half and there was a need to re-establish some momentum to kill the game off. After the controversial penalty, we needed some pace in the game, later Jefferson Montero came on with just 6 minutes remaining. Wilfried Bony’s replacing goalscorer Courtney Baker-Richardson was Potter’s first substitution with 15 minutes to play.

“It’s a hard place to come, they make it difficult for you and it can be a scrappy game. I think you could see what we were trying to do, we scored a very good goal and we started the second half really well,” said the Swans boss.

“We had good control and then when you concede a goal like we did it changes the complexion of the game. So overall it is what it is. – Graham Potter

Potter also stressed the need for his team to be more clinical and that there were some obvious areas that they need to improve in.

“I said before you need to survive key moments and be a bit more clinical. We gave the ball away too easy in the final third and I don’t think we did enough in the final third to score more than one goal.

“But I felt we did a lot well in a tough place against a tough team.

“We need to keep improving, there are some good things but clearly there are thing we can improve.

“But, like any game in the Championship, some moments happen and you need to survive them or get a bit of luck and, maybe today, we have not had much luck, but you have to take what you get.”

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