Rangel: Swansea must race to 40 points

It’s safety first at Swansea City this season, according to Angel Rangel, after the Spanish full-back warned against a Premier League campaign as choppy as the last.

Former boss Garry Monk was axed last December after a run of just one win from 11 games that sent alarm bells ringing around the Liberty Stadium.

Italian Francesco Guidolin was installed as the new head coach and it took until April for Swansea to reach the magical 40-point mark – upon which avoiding relegation is a near certainty.

But considering they had hit the heady heights of eighth the previous year, it was a huge misstep for the club and Rangel admits they cannot afford another sluggish start.

“We don’t want to leave it until the end to get 40 points. We want to get them as soon as possible,” he said.

“It’s not going to be easy – a lot of teams have strengthened with all the money coming in to the league.

“But our target is to get to 40 points as fast as possible, then see how far we can go.”

Rangel, 33, is now tied to the club until 2018 after signing a one-year extension to his deal earlier this week.

 (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)

He will go down as a legend at the Liberty after making his first appearance in League One with the club in 2007 – though the veteran is having to get used to life on rotation.

“We have very healthy competition in every position,” added Rangel. “Since he arrived, Kyle Naughton has played so well on the right-hand side. Sometimes you have to accept that you have good competition, and that some players can do as well or better than you sometimes.

“When that happens, you just have to work hard and wait for your chance.

“Last season I didn’t play much at the beginning, but in the second half I was very involved and we did well to stay in the league, so that was pleasing for me and everyone involved.”