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SWANSEA CITY have enjoyed an outstanding first half of the season under news boss Michael Laudrup, but what have been the key factors in their success so far?

Here, Jon Doel scours the official Premier League statistics to find out the secret to the Swans’ success.

PASS MASTERS

Last season the Swans received huge plaudits for their possession football and style of play under Brendan Rodgers.

Rodgers’ departure and Michael Laudrup’s appointment have undoubtedly contributed to a new, perhaps improved Swansea outfit, but the style remains and the stats show the Welsh team remain one of the most technically gifted in the league.

In fact, Laudrup’s Swans all but match Rodgers’ vintage in terms of passing accuracy with a successful completion rate of 85.4% compared to 85.7% in the Premier League last term.

That figure puts the Swans among the top four teams, behind only the top two of Manchester United and Manchester City and FA Cup third round opponents Arsenal.

Interestingly the accuracy of passing is slightly ahead of Rodgers’ Liverpool, although the Anfield outfit are joint first when it comes to dominating possession alongside champions Manchester City.

Swansea are sixth in this department, ahead of the likes of Champions League hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur.

Passing accuracy table

Manchester United 86.9%

Arsenal 86.5%

Manchester City 86.2%

Swansea City 85.4%

Liverpool 85.2%

Chelsea 84.4%

Spurs 83.5%

Average possession

Liverpool 59%

Manchester City 59%

Manchester United 58%

Arsenal 58%

Chelsea 56%

Swansea City 55%

Spurs 50%

KEY POSSESSION MEN

Much was made of Leon Britton’s ability to keep the ball last season, and the midfield maestro is repeating his incredible stats.

Britton’s pass completion rate of 92% from 1,088 passes is almost an exact match to the 93% he posted last year, and again he remains the heartbeat of the Swansea side.

This year Britton has a rival within his own ranks, though, with summer signing Ki Sung-Yueng also posting a pass completion rate of 92%, albeit from 996 passes.

Centre-back Chico Flores is the pick of the Swans defenders with an impressive passing accuracy of 90%

Leon Britton’s distribution stats

Ki Sung-Yueng's stats

MICHU SENSATION

Has there ever been a better piece of business than that done by Swansea when capturing Michu last summer?

With 13 goals in the first 20 matches of his debut Premier League campaign, the Spaniard is taking on the likes of Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez in the race for the golden boot.

Clinical Michu is currently averaging a goal every 133 minutes and has converted more than half of his 24 attempts on goal.

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There’s been a decent mixture too – five with the head, seven with his left foot and one with the right.

Without those goals you wonder where Swansea might be in the league, with the rest of striking options offering little so far.

Danny Graham’s improved form has seen him take his tally to three in the league, while Itay Shechter and Luke Moore are yet to register.

Of the rest, Wayne Routledge’s impressive season has seen him notch up five goals.

Michu stats

The top scorers

Michu 13

Wayne Routledge 5

Nathan Dyer 3

Danny Graham 3

Jonathan de Guzman 3

Pablo Hernandez 2

ATTACKING THREAT

With 17 games left of the season, the Swans are just 13 goals off beating their total of 44 last season under Rodgers.

Swansea currently average 1.48 goals per game and have mustered an impressive 219 shots on goal in their 21 games so far.

That compares to a goal average of 1.16 per game last term when the Swans at times lacked some of the cutting edge they have shown in recent months.

The 5-0 drubbing of QPR in the first match set the tone, while the more recent 3-1 win over West Brom at the Liberty Stadium in November showcased the attacking, clinical Swans at their very best.

How the two Swansea sides compare as an attacking threat

Swansea City 2011/12

Games: 38

Goals: 44

Goals per game: 1.16

Total shots: 335

Shooting accuracy: 43.3%

Swansea City 2012/13

Games: 21

Goals: 31

Goals per game: 1.48

Total shots: 219

Shooting accuracy: 46.6%

Next page: Swansea's improving defence, a tale of two goalkeepers and the key creators

IMPROVING AT THE BACK

The consistent brilliance of Ashley Williams is well-documented by now, and the addition of the fiery but often classy Chico has been a decent acquisition.

Add to that the outstanding emergence of young Ben Davies and the reliability of Angel Rangel, and it is clear the Swans have a sound defensive foundation.

Interestingly, their defensive record is actually better than last season when they were considered a more conservative outfit.

Gallery: Some of the highlights from Swansea City in 2012

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Just 26 goals have been conceded this season at an average of 1.24 per game. That compares to last season’s average of 1.34 goals per game.

Laudrup’s men can still look frail at times from set-pieces but early-season wobbles have generally been addressed, and their tackles won percentage of 78.3% is again an improvement on previous efforts.

Swansea City's defence in 2011/12

Games: 21

Goals conceded: 26

Goals conceded per game: 1.24

Clean sheets: 5

Tackles won: 78.3%

Blocks: 90

Clearances: 788

Swansea City's defence in 2012/13

Games: 38

Goals conceded: 51

Goals conceded per game: 1.34

Clean sheets: 14

Tackles won: 72.07%

Blocks: 146

Clearances: 1,048

GOALKEEPERS

When Michel Vorm was ruled out for eight weeks following injury in the 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in October, the Swans entered somewhat unknown territory.

Step forward German reserve keeper Gerhard Tremmel – a charming character who has proved a more than capable understudy in recent months.

Indeed, the stats show Tremmels’ figures are more than a match for Dutchman Vorm, who has now been restored to first-team action.

Tremmel has conceded 10 goals in the 10 matches he has played compared to the 16 in 12 matches Vorm has let in.

The German kept two clean sheets, made 43 saves and saved 81% of the shots fired at him during his first-team stint.

Those figures compare favourably to Vorm’s record of three clean sheets, 40 saves and a saves/shot ration of 71%.

How the goalkeepers match up

THE CREATORS

While Britton and Ki have been the calming presence, and Michu has grabbed the headlines, up front, the rest of the Swansea midfield has been pretty busy too.

Pablo Hernandez, Nathan Dyer, Jonathan de Guzman and Wayne Routledge have created nearly 100 chances between them in the 21 games so far.

Routledge has perhaps been the pick of the bunch, creating 29 of those, including three direct assists.

He has also provided 38 crosses on top of the five goals he has scored.

Summer signing de Guzman, who has been steady if unspectacular at times, actually shows up well on the official stats.

His set-piece expertise has seen him deliver 60 crosses, creating 25 chances and four direct assists.

And Pablo Hernandez’ class has begun to shine through in recent weeks following injury troubles, the Spaniard creating 25 chances and four direct assists in just 11 starts.

Swansea’s top men for goal assists

Pablo Hernandez: 4

Jonathan de Guzman: 4

Wayne Routledge: 3

Nathan Dyer: 3