Michael Laudrup warns his Swansea: Beware the Matador

JUAN IN THE ONION BAG ... Mata strikes

MICHAEL LAUDRUP is warning his Swans to beware the Matador tonight.

Juan Mata is the man who can kill off Laudrup’s dream of leading the Welshmen to Wembley for a first major cup final.

Swansea face a task-and-a-half to beat European champions Chelsea in their two-legged Capital One Cup semi-final. Oscar, Eden Hazard, Fernando Torres, Frank Lampard... the list of potential match winners goes on and on.

But it is darting Spanish forward Mata who is on Laudrup’s mind ahead of tonight’s first leg at Stamford Bridge.

The Swansea boss said: “He is a major threat for us. It’s like the other day against Arsenal, they had Santi Cazorla.

“He is not the only one in the team, they have Hazard, they have Oscar, they have Moses. They are all great players.

“But I think Mata is the key. He can go one on one and he has that wonderful passing ability like Cazorla.

“That is why we have to be very careful with him.”

One player who knows Mata better than most is Swans’ winger Pablo Hernandez.
The pair were room-mates during their time at Valencia and are still the best of friends.

Hernandez, Swansea’s record £5.5million buy, scored when the Swans held Chelsea to a 1-1 League draw in November — a game that Mata missed.

Hernandez said: “He is a big friend of mine.

“He was my room-mate at Valencia for two years.

“We used to eat lunch and dinner together, too. He’s a good man and a good player.
“I’m really happy that I can play against him and Chelsea, it’s a game I’m really looking forward to. But he is a player we need to stop.”

Mata already has 13 goals to his name this season. And Chelsea have bagged 33 in their last 10 games — including five at Leeds in the previous round. Laudrup added: “They are scoring lots of goals and with the likes of Lampard coming from the second line and scoring, they are a threat all over the pitch.

“They will be a handful, but it’s Chelsea and that’s what you expect.

“Let’s just see what we can do in the game.

“I think it’s important for us to score a goal. An away goal is vital.

“At this moment, I would accept a narrow defeat but with goals. For me, 2-1 is much, much better than 1-0.”

Laudrup added: “I always preferred being away first in these games.

“I have done both as a manager and a player and if I had to choose I would prefer to play away first.

“The different thing is it is not a complete game, it is only the first half and we play the second half here in two weeks’ time.

“It is difficult to play a game when you know you have another one to come.

“But we know it is important to get a result so we can play the second leg here in front of our fans with the possibility to go through.

“It will be difficult, we know that. To beat Chelsea in one game is difficult, over two games it is even more difficult.

“But we have to give it a try, and we will give it a try and I hope the confidence we have built up in recent weeks can help us.”

The Swans have never previously got to this stage of the League Cup, although they did reach the last four of the FA Cup in 1964.

Following Sunday’s FA Cup draw with Arsenal, Swansea’s resources are set to be stretched — with the possibility of playing NINE games in January.

Premier League survival remains Swansea’s priority, but with a place in the final up for grabs, Laudrup will not be holding any of his players back.

He declared: “As a smaller club we cannot normally compete for trophies, so to be so close to a final is fantastic.

“It is the first time for us to be in a semi-final for some time. It is the first time since 1964 — that was a good year as I was born then. So it is 48 years ago and it shows what an achievement this is.

“The chance to go and play in a final is very big for us.”

Swansea look poised to sell striker Danny Graham in the January transfer window, with Sunderland said to be close to finalising a £4m switch.

Despite bagging 14 goals last season, the Geordie has fallen down the pecking order following the arrival of Laudrup in south Wales.

Michu has generally been used as a lone striker this season — and the £2m buy from Rayo Vallecano has responded with 15 goals already.

But Graham, who has scored three goals in his last three games, trained yesterday and will be part of the squad at Stamford Bridge.

Laudrup added: “There will be nothing on Danny Graham or anyone else as the most important thing is the game. It is huge for the club, the players and all of us and that is the message we have to send.”