Swansea City have been here before, just three months ago to be precise.
Then, as now, a key run of fixtures lay ahead for the Swans in their battle for survival.
On that occasion, six of eight upcoming games were against sides also in the bottom half of the table. This time, it is four in a row.
Paul Clement has been prepared to view tomorrow afternoon’s clash with Burnley as “must win”, just as Bob Bradley did prior to the home game against Crystal Palace at the tail-end of November.
Swansea prevailed in an incredible 5-4 thriller that weekend, but no Swansea fan will need reminding that – a home win over Sunderland aside - it took until the arrival of Clement for the Welsh club to pick up any more points from a sequence of games widely viewed as vital to their survival chances.
So poor were Swansea’s performances during that period that Bradley paid for them with his job.
It’s fair to say there is zero chance of that happening to Clement given the upturn in performance and form he has overseen since his January arrival, even if Swansea should stumble over the next four games.
He has already made a positive impression on supporters, but he will know the eternal gratitude of everyone connected to Swansea City will be assured if his players can make the most of the next month and go on to secure survival. You wouldn’t bet against them given the impact he and his coaching staff have made.
Likewise, failing to capitalise on a favourable run of games is likely to leave Swansea deep in a mire they have looked to be scrabbling clear of. There may be a dozen games to go, but there is no doubting the opportunity that looms ahead for Clement and his men, starting against the Clarets.
It will not be easy, Burnley and the teams that follow are not going to be pushovers and Sean Dyche’s men have confounded pre-season expectations by carving out a handy margin to the bottom three that means they look all but assured of having Premier League status next year.
Clement and his players have given themselves the opportunity to do the same, when hope felt all but lost as Bradley suffered his demise, the task now is to make sure they finish the job.
This will mark the first time Clement and Dyche meet in a Premier League game, but they have considerable experience of facing each other, dating back to their days as fledgling coaches in the age-grade set-ups at Chelsea and Watford respectively.
In a further subplot, their last meeting came during Clement’s final days at Derby. The Rams were beaten 4-1 at Turf Moor. Revenge will not be on the Swansea head coach’s mind, but getting one over his old rival will certainly not go amiss.
“Thanks for reminding me,” said Clement with a wry smile when asked about that result and its significance.
“My recollection of that game is that we didn’t start very well and they scored through an own goal.
“Then we played really well going on in the half and Jacob Butterfield scored a fantastic equaliser.
“At half time my understanding is that the Burnley players got a very harsh talking too from Sean and came out firing.
“I really remember vividly that we had signed Jason Shackell from Burnley and he just had one of those nights you want to forget as quickly as possible.
“The crowd were onto him and he gave away a handball for a penalty that they scored. He had a rough night, both our centre backs did, they had a bit of luck as well, it was a strange game.
“I wasn’t at the club for too long after that, but I didn’t think the writing was on the wall. We played quite well, the chairman even said that to me after the game, and that is the randomness of football.”
Burnley were ruthless on that occasion, a quality Clement has observed in his opposite number all the way back to his playing days as a battle-hardened centre-half at Watford.
It is those same qualities of desire, effort and organisation that have helped the former Derby boss start to get Swansea City back on the right track, and which he will want to see more of come Saturday afternoon.
“I knew Sean well, I came up against him a few times at different levels. I also remember him as a player, he was a tough, tough tackling centre-half. He would kick anything that was moving and if it was the ball that was a bonus,” said Clement.
“I can’t remember the scores in those youth games but his Burnley sides are ruthless defensively.
“They get their two banks of four, they are well-drilled and happy for the other team to have the ball and then strike on the counter-attack or a set play and that is where they get their goals from.
“We have to be ready for that and that is one of the challenges for us.”
If Swansea can showcase a ruthless streak of their own they will make the ideal start to this potentially defining spell in their season.
