Sheffield Wednesday lost 2-0 away at Coventry City in the Championship today, but one defender had a good game.
Sheffield Wednesday have now lost their last two after losing at home to Cardiff City before Christmas.
Danny Rohl‘s side look like they might end what’s been a turbulent 2023 on a negative note with a trip to Preston North End on Friday being their final game of the calendar year.
Today’s game was a frustrating one from start to finish; Rohl looks to have been dealt a fresh injury concern with Callum Paterson forced off with a head injury early on, with yet more tweaks to the defence proving ineffective in the end.
One constant in the defence this season though has been Bambo Diaby; he’s started every Championship game for the Owls this season and gave a good account of himself today.
Bambo Diaby dominant as ever for Sheffield Wednesday
Despite today’s defeat, Diaby had a good game.
Once again, the goals conceded may boil down to individual errors, but as a defensive unit, Wednesday didn’t look as bad as they have done this season.
As per Sofascore, the 26-year-old Diaby completed 36 out of 40 passes with 52 touches on the ball. He also won 5 out of 6 aerial duels and made 7 clearances (both stats more than anyone on the pitch), with 2 interceptions to his name as well.
The Star rated his performance 7/10, with journalist Alex Miller adding:
“Threw himself into a vital block early doors and read the game impressively on a couple of occasions. Delivered a desperate plea to his teammates to tighten up their defensive efforts on 26 minutes. Won headers and defended like his life depended on it. The standout over 90 minutes but was red carded for a headloss moment at the death.”
Diaby now looks set for a three-match ban being dealt a straight red card after full-time.
How will Danny Rohl cope without Diaby?
Rohl has plenty of options at the back, but filling in the gap for Diaby could prove tricky.
There’s several options to come in but few have been performing overly-well of late, and once again, it’ll mean defensive changes for a team currently struggling to keep clean sheets.
Di’Shon Bernard returned to the XI today and after a spell in and out of the starting team, Diaby’s absence will surely cement his place, with Akin Famewo perhaps the likeliest candidate to come into the middle.
That could bring Marvin Johnson back to left-back, or potentially Reece James who’s not played since mid-November.
Pol Valentin could also be deployed at left-back, with young full-back Gui Siqueira now coming into the thinking after being named on the bench today.
So there’s options for Rohl but coping without Diaby could prove difficult, especially with three more tough league games coming up against Preston, Hull City, and Southampton.