5 Premier League managers under pressure

#4 Paul Clement (Swansea City)

Paul Clement has his work cut out and looks set for a long hard season if he stays

Paul Clement managed to keep Swansea afloat last season after replacing Bob Bradley in January. He inherited a team that saw their third manager in a season.

Clement managed to boost the morale of the team and kept them up, a commendable effort for a man in his first managerial tenure at a Premier League club.

This season was going to be a similar struggle, a fact not hidden from Clement. A club fighting for survival need every bit of good fortune, which unfortunately hasn't been the case for the Swans with fine margins costing the team on numerous occasions.

Lack of goals

Swansea have missed the partnership between Llorente & Sigurdsson

When you lose players like Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente, you are looking at a team struggling for goals. These two were pivotal in the battle for survival last season with more than 50% of goals scored between them.

Sigurdsson has proved to be a bigger miss for the Welsh side since on-loan Tammy Abraham looks a player capable of filling the void up-front.

The last two summer windows have seen Swansea lose important players in Ashley Williams, Llorente and Sigurdsson, stripping the team of defensive steel, creativity in midfield and goal scoring.

The current squad possess players with potential but none are of the class to build a team around like the aforementioned players.

Summer signings have so far failed to deliver with on-loan striker Tammy Abraham the only bright spot in a misfiring attack.

In fact, Swansea is the joint second lowest team in terms of goals with only six goals so far.

The arrival of Renato Sanches was seen as a coup but the Portuguese player has failed to live up to the hype, same as Wilfried Bony. This has resulted in only two wins so far this season and being above the bottom three only on goal difference.

What next?

The Swans are lacking the urgency and intensity that was on show at the end of last season, a worry for any manager fighting the drop.

Clement needs to find the formula which worked so well for him last season. A crucial month is ahead for Clement, whose side counts Chelsea among its upcoming opponents. A positive run in these games is imperative for the survival of the club as well as the manager.