Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City were separated only by goals scored at the beginning of the weekend. In South Wales, after thirty minutes, the two teams appeared completely different.
For the devoted Rovers supporters, who have grown accustomed to seeing their team struggle with travel sickness, it was just another dismal away day.
If the team’s courageous and passionate display against Newcastle United on Tuesday restored the fans’ faith, the first half of Saturday’s play nearly erased it.
Going into Swansea, there was concern that this might happen “after the Lord Mayor’s show.” Rovers may not be able to play for a seventh time in three weeks because they gave their all in Tuesday night’s performance, not just physically but also emotionally and psychologically.
That was precisely the case, as they lost the game due to a careless start to the contest. Swansea took full advantage of more lax Blackburn defence to score some outrageous goals.
This season, Luke Williams’ team hasn’t exactly turned Swansea.com Stadium into a stronghold, but they dominated Rovers right from the start. Rovers were forced to make mistakes and pass backwards due to their pressure and harrying. Add an early goal to boost confidence, and it was all set up for a home victory.
There was a touch of unfortunate bounce to the first goal, as the ball bounced off Andrew Moran and back to Przemylaw Placheta. The young Irishman seemed to give up on the ball, so the optics weren’t great. Aynsley Pears and the defenders in front of him made a mess from there by failing to clear their line, allowing Joe Allen to attack.
For Moran, the second was yet another nightmare. As he did so brilliantly so many times on Tuesday, the young player took the ball under duress, but Matt Grimes was ready to strike. After three ball touches, Jamie Paterson made it two by jinking past Kyle McFadzean.
To be blunt, Rovers looked exhausted. To avoid sounding sly after the fact, Eustace only made one change, and it wasn’t sufficient. My assumption was that there would have been more rotation given how effectively the replacements performed on Tuesday.
Maintaining players’ fitness and freshness while fielding the best team is a challenging balancing act. With such a demanding schedule, it’s a task that no one would envy and a true trial by fire for the new Blackburn Rovers manager.
After the first 30 minutes, Rovers got better and were the stronger team at the end of the first 45 minutes. Callum Brittain and Tyrhys Dolan both had half chances, but they lacked the clinical finishing touch.
Naturally, the state of the game had a role. Swansea was content to hold onto their two-goal advantage. The halftime switch to a back four was an indication that Rovers needed to commit players forward.
The pattern continued in the second half. Rovers won the ball in a few risky situations, but their touches were loose, they overhit the pass, or they turned the wrong direction. To put it briefly, that element of quality was absent.
They were unable to draw even with a goal from Sam Szmodics, who now has 25 for the season. Without him, where would they end up?
It is concerning that his current form would indicate that he could be the Golden Boot winner and have a second relegation on his resume. There’s no escaping relegation with two victories in 17 Championship games.
Rovers triumphed in their fourth straight away game in November. It is unbelievable that seven losses have transpired in the subsequent nine games. Although Rovers were wasteful in the opposition’s end and soft in their own, Eustace may have felt that they did enough for a point based on the overall play
Rovers supporters now have the unsettling impression that their team is entering League One by sleep. Despite there being four teams below them, they are only one point away from the relegation zone It is concerning that his current form would indicate that he could be the Golden Boot winner and have a second relegation on his resume. There’s no escaping relegation with two victories in 17 Championship games.
Rovers triumphed in their fourth straight away game in November. It is unbelievable that seven losses have transpired in the subsequent nine games. Although Rovers were wasteful in the opposition’s end and soft in their own, Eustace may have felt that they did enough for a point based on the overall play.
Rovers supporters now have the unsettling impression that their team is entering League One by sleep. Despite there being four teams below them, they are only one point away from the relegation zone.
Rovers’ issue is that everyone around them keeps winning. Following their managerial change last year, Sheffield Wednesday and Queens Park Rangers have played like top-half teams. Since Neil Harris’s return, Millwall has won their last two games, and Stoke City even prevailed over Middlesbrough.
The good news is that seven teams are separated by just two points. The bad news is that Rovers will quickly become the team that falls into the bottom three if their current form continues.
Eustace has attempted to downplay the significance of the games the following week, but they must record some wins. To be honest, both seem like games that must be won.
This is due to the position of their opponents as well as the Rovers’ upcoming run-in. With Southampton, Coventry City, Leeds United, Ipswich Town, and Leicester City still to come, it is a nightmare.
There are, theoretically, fewer games left to win. The teams most likely to score are Millwall, Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday, and, given their current performance, Middlesbrough away. However, despite their two wins in 17, Rovers have lost to Rotherham, Queens Park Rangers, and Huddersfield twice.
It is not Eustace who is to blame for this slump in performance. When Jon Dahl Tomasson left the club, Rovers had only triumphed once in 11 games. If you exclude Stoke City, which isn’t technically in the Eustace era, he has five league matches in 19 days.
The issue is that Rovers’ relegation won’t be prevented by mitigation. The head coach must figure out how to turn Rovers into winners. Both defensively and offensively, they have made some minor progress, though not always in the same games.
It’s a thankless task marrying them together after little time spent together on the training pitch. He is the one responsible for rescuing them from that unimaginable fate, not the primary offender if they fail.
The form line and situation point to the same result if your specs aren’t tinted blue and white. Blackburn Rovers needs to quickly make that change.
