Newcastle's Next Opponents: Everything You Need To Know About Swansea

Full-Backs - Kyle Naughton And Neil Taylor

In Naughton and Taylor, Swansea have a pair of hard-working, defensively-minded full-backs who certainly know how to play with the ball at their feet. Moussa Sissoko and Gabriel Obertan will have a tough time against these two, who will be determined to keep their opposition in check. Neil Taylor was once reportedly a key NUFC target, with a bid of £1 million believed to be enough to trigger a release clause in the Welsh international's contract. This proved not to be the case and the Welsh club quoted Newcastle £10 million to bring him to St James' Park. Instead, Newcastle signed Davide Santon while Taylor battled with now-Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies for the left-back slot at the Liberty Stadium and has gone on to make the position his own, with consistent performances that typically feature good distribution and link-up play going forward but more so a strong focus on nullifying attacking wingers. Kyle Naughton, meanwhile, started his career at Sheffield United but, after moving to Tottenham, he saw his chances in his favoured right-back position limited behind England international Kyle Walker, another Blades academy product. Despite getting the chance to play at left-back for Spurs at times, the 26-year-old decided to make the move to Swansea for £5 million in January, instantly establishing himself as the club's No 1 right-back. At Swansea, he has had the chance to show what he can do in a way that he was not allowed to at Spurs and, with the style of football the club play, his attacking instincts have flourished. While the Swansea wingers will demand constant attention, it is important that Newcastle's attacking wide players track back with these two otherwise they could punish the Magpies' still dubious defence when they overlap and whip dangerous balls into the area.