Blackpool v Swansea City could be a tough watch, but a repeat of last season's win will do the trick

I’ll gladly take a repeat if it means another 1-0 win, as was the case in March when Gary Madine’s early header secured a relatively comfortable three points. As comfortable as a win gets by a one-goal margin, anyway.

But if Blackpool approach the game in the same manner as the first-half of their cup defeat to Barrow on Tuesday night, it could be a long 90 minutes.

Michael Appleton’s side certainly controlled the game during the first period, no-one can argue with that. But they never looked like scoring either.

It was the same with the Swans last season and by all accounts, Russell Martin is keeping faith with the same approach this term.

His side had 71 per cent of the ball last week during their first home game of the season yet found themselves heavily beaten 3-0 by Blackburn Rovers.

It was the same story at Bloomfield Road last season, when Swansea had all the ball, passed it nicely from side to side but once they got to the final third, looked utterly devoid of ideas.

It was a lesson from Neil Critchley in how different games can be controlled in different ways. Blackpool had to do very little other than sit back, soak up the pressure, control and shut down the space and take advantage of their opportunities on the counter-attack.

On another day, the scoreline would have been even heavier had the Seasiders taken their chances on the break.

Pep Guardiola is the best manager going at the minute, so it feels wrong to criticise him. But the domination of his Barcelona side from 2008 to 2012 inadvertently spawned a new generation of young coaches who think keeping the ball at all cost is the key to winning football matches. It’s not and it never has been.

Of course, in an ideal world, you’d control possession and win at a canter, something that is a lot easier to do when you’ve got Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta and Lionel Messi, I might add…

But we’ve seen over the last 10 years or so that counter-attacking football has been just as effective, if not more so, so it’s about striking the right balance. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, after all.

It will be fascinating to see what approach Appleton takes tomorrow. Can you out-Swansea Swansea? I’m not sure that’s possible. I can’t see him changing from his ideals either though.

It sounds silly to say it, but there’s a bit of pressure on both sides already.

Blackpool have had a tough week with back-to-back defeats, culminating in an embarrassing cup exit at the hands of League Two Barrow.

Swansea, on the other hand, have taken just one point from their opening two league games and were also dumped out of the cup on penalties, this time Oxford United the benefactors.

If Blackpool are to pick up a second win of the campaign, they’re going to have to do it without fan favourite Richard Keogh, who is no longer with the club.

The defender, who turned 36 on Thursday, was only here for a season yet he still managed to leave his mark.

It’s fair to say most weren’t exactly enthused when the former Derby County man arrived on a free transfer last summer. But after a shaky start, which mirrored Blackpool’s form, he soon won over the supporters.

Signing a guy in his mid to late 30s is never a particularly sexy piece of business, is it? But sometimes there’s no substitute for that level of experience.

Keogh has played virtually all of his career in the Championship and that hasn’t happened by accident, so perhaps we shouldn’t have been so surprised by the impact he had.

He certainly had an influence on Marvin Ekpiteta, who took his game to another level playing alongside him in the centre of defence.

His input went far beyond the pitch though, he was also a key component of the Blackpool squad and a dominant voice in the changing room.

Ipswich have got themselves a top player, that’s for certain. At his age, you can’t blame Keogh for wanting to be nearer his family, having been brought up in Essex. So you can only wish him the best and good luck, as sad as it is to see him go.

It will be interesting to see if Appleton now looks to strengthen in defence. In terms of numbers, it’s still looking fairly healthy with Ekpiteta, Rhys Williams, Jordan Thorniley, Doug Tharme and James Husband if required.

I think it’s more likely the Seasiders will look to add quality in more pressing positions, namely right-back, central midfield and up front.

There’s been a few departures from Bloomfield Road already this summer but I’m expecting to see more.

If Blackpool do end up making two more additions, for argument’s sake, that will take them up to 28 ‘senior’ players under contract, making at least three departures an inevitability.

It’s clearly going to be a hectic two-and-a-half weeks before the transfer window shuts on September 1. As usual, I’d imagine Blackpool’s business - in terms of ins and outs - will continue right up until the final seconds of deadline day.

I for one can’t wait for it all to be over and silly season is over and done with. For a few months, anyway.