Alan Sheehan insists he will “find a solution” to his side’s attacking failings after defeat at Preston North End on Wednesday left Swansea City with only one win in six Championship matches.
Swansea were beaten 2-1 by the high-flying Lilywhites despite having 18 efforts on goal compared to Preston’s four.
The lack of a cutting edge has been the theme of Swansea’s season, with Sheehan feeling points went begging at Preston just as they had done in last weekend’s draw at Charlton Athletic.
“[It is] the same message as the other day. When we get into those areas, we need to be a bit more clinical, a bit more calm,” the Swansea head coach said.
“That’s the difference between one point and six [this week]. We have been in every single game this year – a lot of our draws have felt like losses.
Getty Images
Swansea fell behind to a stunning Thierry Small goal at Preston before controlling long spells of the game.
Having wasted chances to equalise before half-time, Swansea conceded a second goal on the counter-attack early in the second period before substitute Eom Jisung’s goal gave Sheehan’s team hope 10 minutes from time.
But for all their endeavour, Swansea lacked the quality to find a leveller and suffered a third defeat in their past six league games.
“I think it’s been a tough block [since the October international break],” Sheehan added.
“We didn’t play well against Southampton. We had 10 men for an hour against QPR. We beat Norwich and then in the last two games, we have gone away to top-10 teams at the moment and come away with one point.
“We should be coming away with a lot more than that, I think if everybody’s being fair. I am very frustrated.”
Alan Sheehan insists he will “find a solution” to his side’s attacking failings after defeat at Preston North End on Wednesday left Swansea City with only one win in six Championship matches.
Swansea were beaten 2-1 by the high-flying Lilywhites despite having 18 efforts on goal compared to Preston’s four.
The lack of a cutting edge has been the theme of Swansea’s season, with Sheehan feeling points went begging at Preston just as they had done in last weekend’s draw at Charlton Athletic.
“[It is] the same message as the other day. When we get into those areas, we need to be a bit more clinical, a bit more calm,” the Swansea head coach said.
“That’s the difference between one point and six [this week]. We have been in every single game this year – a lot of our draws have felt like losses.
Getty Images
Swansea fell behind to a stunning Thierry Small goal at Preston before controlling long spells of the game.
Having wasted chances to equalise before half-time, Swansea conceded a second goal on the counter-attack early in the second period before substitute Eom Jisung’s goal gave Sheehan’s team hope 10 minutes from time.
But for all their endeavour, Swansea lacked the quality to find a leveller and suffered a third defeat in their past six league games.
“I think it’s been a tough block [since the October international break],” Sheehan added.
“We didn’t play well against Southampton. We had 10 men for an hour against QPR. We beat Norwich and then in the last two games, we have gone away to top-10 teams at the moment and come away with one point.
“We should be coming away with a lot more than that, I think if everybody’s being fair. I am very frustrated.”
Alan Sheehan insists he will “find a solution” to his side’s attacking failings after defeat at Preston North End on Wednesday left Swansea City with only one win in six Championship matches.
Swansea were beaten 2-1 by the high-flying Lilywhites despite having 18 efforts on goal compared to Preston’s four.
The lack of a cutting edge has been the theme of Swansea’s season, with Sheehan feeling points went begging at Preston just as they had done in last weekend’s draw at Charlton Athletic.
“[It is] the same message as the other day. When we get into those areas, we need to be a bit more clinical, a bit more calm,” the Swansea head coach said.
“That’s the difference between one point and six [this week]. We have been in every single game this year – a lot of our draws have felt like losses.
Getty Images
Swansea fell behind to a stunning Thierry Small goal at Preston before controlling long spells of the game.
Having wasted chances to equalise before half-time, Swansea conceded a second goal on the counter-attack early in the second period before substitute Eom Jisung’s goal gave Sheehan’s team hope 10 minutes from time.
But for all their endeavour, Swansea lacked the quality to find a leveller and suffered a third defeat in their past six league games.
“I think it’s been a tough block [since the October international break],” Sheehan added.
“We didn’t play well against Southampton. We had 10 men for an hour against QPR. We beat Norwich and then in the last two games, we have gone away to top-10 teams at the moment and come away with one point.
“We should be coming away with a lot more than that, I think if everybody’s being fair. I am very frustrated.”
Hips Don’t Lie hitmaker Shakira has secured a huge award from Billboard as she nears the end of her history-making world tour that’s come with a few setbacks along the way
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Shakira is nearing the end of her world tour(Image: Getty Images)
Pop star Shakira has marked a significant milestone in her career, having won an impressive award. The Waka Waka hitmaker and Grammy winner, 48, can add another title to her name thanks to the win.
She has been hard at work touring the world following the release of her twelfth studio album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, last year. Shakira kicked off her tour in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in February, and it is set to conclude next month in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The singer will perform a staggering 82 shows by the time her tour wraps, and it has already become the highest-grossing Latin tour by a woman in history, raking in an impressive $327.4 million. Her celebrations don’t stop there, as she has now been awarded Billboard’s Global Touring Icon for her tour.
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Shakira accepted her award alongside her longtime tour manager, Marty Hom and her team, who erupted into cheer. “This is incredible, I just want to share this with all of you guys,” she said as she held up her award.
“My band, my dancers, my crew, my staff, my team – everyone has worked so hard on this tour. We have gotten so far and overcome so many obstacles. Here we are making history.”
Shakira added: “I want to thank my Latin community and my fans from forever, making me feel like I am just starting at this point in my career.” Fans also congratulated her as one said: “You deserve all the good.”
Another added: “You deserve it.” Someone else commented: “For me, Shakira is the reason why I’m proud to be Colombian her music and legacy are a national pride.”
However, her tour hasn’t been without its issues. In September, her show was thrown into chaos after a torrential downpour in Mexico.
Shakira saw her show nearly be washed out after her dressing room got flooded by torrential rain moments before her concert. She also took to the stage nearly three hours late due to technical issues caused by the rainstorm.
In her post, Shakira wrote: “Look at my dressing room before last night’s concert.” Footage showed plastic bags covering every inch of the room as water poured from the ceiling.
The singer’s technical team were forced to make emergency adjustments to make sure everything was safe at the event. And despite coming on stage hours late, Shakira was met with a standing ovation by those appreciative of the star not cancelling the performance.
In May, Shakira fell over on stage while performing at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. She joked afterwards: “No one is safe from falls!”
And in February, she was forced to cancel a second concert just a week on from pulling the plug on another having been rushed to hospital. She had to postpone her show in Medellin, Colombia, due to safety concerns.
A roof malfunction at the venue posed a potential hazard, organisers said, and it wasn’t able to be fixed before the star was due to go on stage. A week earlier, she shared her devastation at cancelling a show after being taken to hospital for “an abdominal issue”.
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Dan Roan, Sports editor and Bobbie Jackson, BBC Sport journalist
The chief executive of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv says it is “incredibly sad” away fans have been banned from his side’s Europa League match at Aston Villa.
“Politics should never be drawn into football”, Jack Angelides told BBC Sport.
Last month, the local Safety Advisory Group – the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches – informed Villa that no travelling fans would be allowed to attend the fixture in Birmingham on Thursday after police raised concerns, sparking a major backlash.
The decision became the focus of parliamentary-level debate and Maccabi later said supporters would not travel to Birmingham for safety reasons.
“It became a political issue and we’re not a pawn in a political game, we’re a football club”, said Angelides after his squad arrived in the city.
“Our strengths are running a football club and playing football.
“It’s incredibly sad and I think it’s a concerning and a worrying sign.”
Angelides added he feels there seems to be “a desire to perpetuate myths and falsehoods” around Maccabi Tel Aviv and its fans.
17 hours ago
21 October
10 hours ago
Six weeks ago, there was a chance the game might not go ahead, with calls for Israeli teams to be removed from international competitions because of the Israel-Gaza war.
But once a ceasefire was agreed last month, it became clear Maccabi Tel Aviv – the only Israeli club to reach the league stage of European competition this season – would stay in the Europa League.
West Midlands Police said its high-risk assessment of the fixture was “based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”.
Last month’s Tel Aviv derby was called off by police amid disorder, heightening safety concerns, but Angelides insisted his club’s fans were not to blame. When asked why he felt they had been banned from the match at Villa Park, he said, “I have no idea because it has never been fully reported.
“People have used the silence or lack of clarity to fulfil agendas. I must believe that there was a concern that the safety of the Maccabi fans coming here would be at risk. That must be the main reason.”
A coalition of six pro-Palestinian organisations are planning to be outside Villa Park on Thursday to protest against the match going ahead.
Nayeem Malik, chair of West Midlands Palestinian Solidarity, said the organisation has put out a national call for people to turn up and hope to have between 20,000 and 50,000 protesters attending.
“Maccabi Tel Aviv should not be playing anywhere in the international arena,” Malik told BBC Sport.
“We have had a lot of demonstrations for Palestine in this city and they have all been very peaceful.
“Our campaign is that Israel should be boycotted in all sports and that’s whether they play with or without fans.”
More than 700 police officers will be deployed on the streets of Birmingham, including those with horses, dogs, the force’s drone unit, and road policing officers. There will be a no-fly zone around the ground, and some local schools say they are closing early.
“We trust in the local authorities,” said Angelides.
“I feel that they must know the situation, what is required and know the lines that must be drawn.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv have played both their Europa League home games this season in Serbia after Uefa ruled it was unsafe to host matches in Israel, and Angelides believes the players are accustomed to playing fixtures without a large travelling support.
“We’ve had to deal with this for two years, playing our home match abroad and often without fans because of the distance and location,” he added.
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Dan Roan, Sports editor and Bobbie Jackson, BBC Sport journalist
Maccabi Tel Aviv chief executive Jack Angelides has called for a separation between football and politics after away fans were banned from Thursday’s Europa League game at Aston Villa.
Last month, West Midlands Police raised concerns about its ability to deal with potential protests and the Safety Advisory Group – the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches – informed Villa no travelling fans will be permitted at the match in Birmingham.
The decision became the focus of parliamentary-level debate and the Israeli club later said supporters would not travel to Birmingham for safety reasons.
“It’s incredibly sad and I think it’s a concerning and a worrying sign,” Angelides told BBC Sport.
“Politics should never be drawn into football.
9 hours ago
21 October
2 hours ago
Six weeks ago, there was a chance the game might not go ahead, with calls for Israeli teams to be removed from international competitions because of the Israel-Gaza war.
But once a ceasefire was agreed last month, it became clear Maccabi Tel Aviv – the only Israeli club to reach the league stage of European competition this season – would stay in the Europa League.
West Midlands Police said its decision was “based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”.
A coalition of six pro-Palestinian organisations will be outside Villa Park on Thursday to protest against the match going ahead.
Nayeem Malik, chair of West Midlands Palestinian Solidarity, said the organisation has put out a national call for people to turn up and hope to have between 20,000 and 50,000 protesters attending.
“Maccabi Tel Aviv should not be playing anywhere in the international arena,” Malik told BBC Sport.
“We have had a lot of demonstrations for Palestine in this city and they have all been very peaceful.
“Our campaign is that Israel should be boycotted in all sports and that’s whether they play with or without fans.”
More than 700 police officers will be deployed, including those with horses, dogs, the force’s drone unit, and road policing officers. There will be a no-fly zone around the ground.
“We trust in the local authorities,” said Angelides.
“I feel that they must know the situation, what is required and know the lines that must be drawn.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv have played both their Europa League home games this season in Serbia after Uefa ruled it was unsafe to host matches in Israel, and Angelides believes the players are accustomed to playing fixtures without a large travelling support.
“We’ve had to deal with this for two years, playing our home match abroad and often without fans because of the distance and location,” he added.
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