Jack Cork insists Swansea City are making progress, despite little evidence of it in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to his former club Southampton.
The Swans midfielder put an optimistic slant on the defeat at St. Mary’s by suggesting time would yield better results and performances after the club’s third defeat in four games.
Francesco Guidolin’s team lost out to a Charlie Austin goal and for the second successive week the Italian was involved in a spat with a player he had substituted.
But Cork said: “We are heading in the right direction, but we just need to sort things out defensively, be in good shape and stay solid.
“We are improving and getting things going, but it might take us a while to settle.
“Everyone is disappointed with today – the fans came a long way to support us. In the first half I felt we did okay, and in the second half we were confident we could get something.
“We had some good spells and created chances, but we’ve got to work defensively as a team to limit their chances.
“But they had enough chances to win the game, and deservedly did that.”
After an opening day victory at Burnley, Swansea have taken just a single point from four matches and are just a point above the relegation zone.
They would have lost by a bigger margin had the Saints not wasted a plentiful supply of chances, whilst the Swans’ own threats were meagre and easily contained.
When Guidolin replaced Ki Sung-yueng, the manager was given another flash of dissent by the South Korean, just a week after the bust-up with Neil Taylor.
For Swansea supporters, it appears to be setting a worrying backdrop of disharmony to add to the disjointed performances on the pitch. To add to their concerns, the team now face the side setting the pace at the top of the Premier League – Manchester City – twice in four days.
Cork admitted those matches would prove difficult, but suggested the Swans could get past City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, before gaining at least a point on Saturday.
He added: “We have got two tough cup games coming up at home, so it would be nice to make progress in the cup and get something from the league game.”
By then, Guidolin will have spoken in more depth to Ki who can expect little understanding for his petulant public show of disunity.
“I can understand [Ki’s disappointment], but it’s not a good situation,” said Guidolin.
“This is not a good attitude. I have to speak with him. I respect all people, all my players because the relationship is the most important thing for me.
“In this league, in this squad I’ve found good, good guys. Good players – no problem for relationships.”