New Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup knows there is a great challenge ahead for the Welsh club.
The Swans managed an 11th-place finish in their first season in the Premier League last term which exceeded many expectations.
This pre-season, Swansea have basically been written off by critics are losing manager Brendan Rodgers to Liverpool but Laudrup is desperate to prove them wrong by again staving off relegation and maybe even improving on last term.
"I have read in the last couple of weeks a lot of experts saying Swansea are one of the favourites to be relegated, because the second season is more difficult than the first," he said.
"I agree that the second season is more difficult but we have to prove these experts wrong. We have a good team, we have brought in players with experience of the highest level and we just have to show that they are wrong.
"We want to show everybody that Swansea is not just a club passing by, it's a club that wants to stay at the highest level for many years and that's a huge ambition to have.
"There are clubs in the divisions below us who want our place, we know it's a huge challenge but we are ready for it."
