SWANS: ‘A pressing monster’: Matos praises Idah, Yeo and Vipotnik after Burnley rout

Vitor Matos singled out the work of his forwards after Swansea City’s 3-1 win over Burnley, praising the pressing that created the goals as much as the finishing.

Adam Idah scored the opener by chasing down goalkeeper Max Weiss, and Matos said both his and the corner-chasing second came from the mindset he wants.

“Both goals come from chasing opportunities. That’s massive. It’s part of our game and our mindset and the mentality we want,” he said.

“It was really nice, Adam doing that. He did it in pre-season as well, and did it again today. He offers a lot in terms of pressing.”

The head coach noted Idah’s stop-start first season after arriving last term.

“Last season he got injured straight after I arrived. There was not a lot of time to train. Now he’s had pre-season, he has had time to improve and to understand. He’s impacted the team and I’m really pleased with him,” said Matos.

‘Yeo is a pressing monster’

Moussa Yeo’s mazey run and finish made it two, and Matos hopes the goal lifts a player he rates highly.

“Yeo is a wonderful player. He works a lot defensively, he’s a pressing monster. It was really nice for his confidence to have this goal,” he said.

“He knows that in some situations he can improve the last pass and the last decision, he’s quite clear on that. But having this goal, and the performance, I think that will be good for him.”

Vipotnik’s impact off the bench

Zan Vipotnik came off the bench to score the third, and Matos said last season’s top scorer offered more than the goal.

“It’s more than the goals. What they are offering in terms of desire, connecting. When Vipotnik came on, he connected so well with the wingers and the midfielders to help the team moving forward. That was massive,” he said.

The head coach said the competition between Idah and Vipotnik was exactly what he wanted.

“I like both a lot, they offer different things. Both are working hard for the team. If we all are committed to one idea, good things will come,” he said.

“When you have players who come from the bench with that desire, we needed a little bit of freshness, a little bit of belief in the last third and energy. Both offered that.”

Author

Richard Bond

Swansea-based sports journalist.
Twitter: @RichBond00
Email: RichardBond@swanseabaynews.com