Laudrup says fatigue is taking toll on Swans

Swansea 0 Southampton 0

Saturday’s goalless draw against Southampton extended the Swans’ winless streak to five games, equalling their longest series without a victory since being promoted to the Premier League. Swansea fans are unlikely to complain too loudly after a season which has seen them win the Capital One Cup and spend all but a handful of weeks inside the top half of the table.

Laudrup has set his sights on a top-10 finish but the Swans will need to pick up a few more points from a testing run-in – including fixtures against Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea – to achieve that goal.

Taking just two points from the last 15, the Dane acknowledges the emotional highs experienced during the cup run may be having an effect.

“Fatigue could be a factor for some players. We cannot exclude that,” he said.

“For some players it has been their first year in this team, whether they have come from abroad or from the youth team like Ben Davies. Jonathan de Guzman did not play much last season and he has played a lot of games this season, as have Pablo Hernandez and Michu.

“But, as well as the physical side, there is the mental side. It is completely normal when you reach your target to relax.”