Charlie Patino returned from suspension to make the Swansea City squad against Hull City on Saturday, but he was benched for the fixture.
Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino picked up a harsh red card in early November, with Swansea City head coach Michael Duff arguing that both bookings were harsh and throwing his backing behind the midfielder.
Patino’s suspension stood, and he missed Swansea’s game against Ipswich Town as a result, before playing just a few minutes for the England u21s over the international break.
Perhaps those few weeks without a proper game made Duff hesitant to put the midfielder back into the side, or perhaps he was setting Patino a challenge to win his spot back, but the youngster only made the bench on his return this weekend.
Having started 11 of Swansea’s 13 Championship fixtures before his suspension, it was a surprise to see Patino among the substitutes.
The England u21 international had previously only dropped out of the side when it seemed like he needed a rest, with both of the games he didn’t start coming just three days after his prior appearance.
The Swansea fans on social media certainly seemed surprised not to see Patino involved against Hull City:
-
@NeathJack1: “Explain to me like I’m 5 why you would drop Darling and leave Patino on the bench”
-
@CurtisTheJack: “What has Darling done to be dropped and why isn’t Patino starting?”
-
@HarveyMallett2: “Patino not starting is just wild.”
-
@LiamHiscock__: “Darling and Patino on [the] bench is a disgrace.”
-
@swanspassion: “Amazed Patino didn’t come on today and the subs made zero sense.”
With Patino remaining on the bench for the full 90 minutes, Swansea ended up drawing 2-2, dropping a couple of points to remain firmly in the bottom half of the Championship table.
Swansea now have a huge game away to Leeds United on Wednesday, and it’s very possible Patino was being saved for that one.
But the Swansea fans will feel they’ve missed an opportunity to go into that game with momentum, and Patino’s absence was perhaps a factor in that failure.