Sheffield Wednesday’s Championship loss to Leicester City last night was predicted.
Sheffield Wednesday was defeated by the dominant team in the league. However, Danny Rohl’s team did not embarrass themselves.
The Owls suffered a 2-0 defeat; Wednesday held their own in the second half, with the first goal coming from a mishandled pass by James Beadle and the second from some excellent play by a much more costly Leicester City team.
According to Sofascore, Sheffield Wednesday’s 38% possession and 10 shots against Leicester City’s 4 in the second half was an excellent example of what Rohl can do as a coach.
But in the end, the Owls were unable to find the back of the net.
Wout Faes dominant at the back for Leicester City
Leicester never really appeared to be in danger of conceding, even if Sheffield Wednesday gave the Foxes plenty to contend with in the second half of the game Friday night.
Enzo Maresca’s team put on a typically strong defensive show, and Wout Faes seemed to stick out as the kind of player the Owls might really use.
He teamed up with Jannik Vestergaard in the center of a back-four, and the two of them played a great game of ball movement. They were physically dominant against Bailey Cadamarteri and the Sheffield Wednesday assault, as well as adept at stopping attacks with short and long passes.
Faes recorded 87 touches, making 71/76 passes (93% passing) and 6 long balls, according to Sofascore.
The Leicester Mercury gave the enthusiastic ball-player defender from Belgium a 7 out of 10 grade for his performance last night. Journalist Jordan Blackwell added:
He gave [Stephy] Mavididi some great crossfield passes early on, and for the second goal, he clipped a happy ball over the top.
And Rohl could really use a ball-playing center-back like this.
Ipswich Town vs. Leicester City – Sky Bet Championship Image courtesy of Michael Regan/Getty Images
Sheffield Wednesday’s Danny Rohl style was lacking a few components.
Sheffield Wednesday is a team that can pass like some of the top teams in the division, as we have witnessed numerous times under Rohl.
Although it’s very amazing how Rohl has motivated such a dismal team at the beginning of the season, it’s obvious that he’s missing a few key pieces.
Two players can be added to the lineup: a striker and a center-back who can initiate rapid attacks, such as Vestergaard or Faes.
Opposing teams may easily sit back and stifle play when in possession, thus teams frequently need to launch swift attacks, as Leicester City did for their second goal of the evening.
Jamie Vardy was set up by a long ball from Faes to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall; it was a swift, uncomplicated, and brilliant move by Leicester City.
This season, we have hardly seen a center-back from Sheffield Wednesday attempt a pass like that.
Although Di’Shon Bernard has displayed flashes of becoming a forward player who can find passes and get forward with the ball, Rohl wants a man who can play these crossfield balls and immediately put Sheffield Wednesday on the offensive.
Should Bernard stick with the Owls past this season, he has plenty of time to develop into that kind of player.
However, Rohl ought to consider adding a committed ball-player to the center of defense in the summer, as it would undoubtedly provide Sheffield Wednesday with an additional and valuable weapon.
