Swansea City have to improve, says midfielder Joe Allen

Swansea midfielder Joe Allen has won three caps for Wales

Midfielder Joe Allen has said Swansea City will have to improve to cope with life in the Premier League.

The Swans secured their first point in a goalless draw against Wigan Athletic and now welcome Sunderland on Saturday.

And manager Brendan Rodgers has also insisted he is not concerned by his Swansea side's goalless start to the season in the top-flight.

"We're bridging a massive gap between Championship and Premiership," said Wales international Allen.

"Everyone knows it's going to be an incredibly tough season. There's great players, almost week in week out, that you are facing.

"There's a difference in the speed, the technical aspects of the game that we're looking forward to improving and competing."

Allen is disappointed to not yet start in Swansea's two Premier League games, having come on as substitute in both games, but the 21-year-old started in Swansea's 3-1 Carling Cup defeat at Shrewsbury.

Swansea face Sunderland at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday after failing to find the net in their first two fixtures at Manchester City and at home to Wigan.

While the only Swans goal in Tuesday's cup shock at Shrewsbury was an own goal by Shane Cansdell-Sherriff.

And Rodgers will be keen for a first Premier League win against the Black Cats with away trips to Arsenal and Chelsea following the international break.

"It's certainly something we are working hard on on the training field," said Rodgers.

"We have terrific talent at the top of end of the field and it will only be a matter of time.

"We have only had a couple of games so we will look at it over a period of time.

"Goals are harder to come by this year because of the nature of the competition, but I have confidence in the players we have, that we can create and score goals.

"Once we get that first one I am sure we will roll on from there.

"We just need to be that bit more clinical. We know that our front players and wide players can score goals.

"Danny Graham has come off two seasons where he has scored goals, Scott Sinclair got 27 goals last term and Leroy Lita can score goals. Nathan Dyer has started the season well and he looks like he could get us a few.

"But it is the responsibility of everyone to score, midfielders have to contribute and defenders at set-pieces, so the onus can't always just be on the attacking players, but it is an area we will improve on."

So Rodgers' side will be on the goal hunt against Sunderland while Allen hopes to go head-to-head with Welsh team-mate and Sunderland midfielder David Vaughan on Saturday.

"David's a top player," said Allen.

"It's always exciting to come up against people you know. [He's] a player we will obviously have to look out for on Saturday."