Danny Rohl may have cost Sheffield Wednesday with one demand last night.
Sheffield Wednesday faced the huge challenge of claiming a result against Leicester City for the second time yesterday.
The Owls had already scraped a point in the reverse fixture earlier this year, but were set a much harder task of doing the same thing at the King Power Stadium.
The Owls’ hopes were very quickly shut down though, when a pass from James Beadle to Will Vaulks ended up in Leicester’s control, resulting in Abdul Fatawu netting the opener after only four minutes in the Midlands.
Sheffield Wednesday were dominated from then on, with Jamie Vardy doubling the lead on the half hour mark.
Danny Rohl‘s side looked much better in the second half, but were unable to penetrate Leicester’s defence and eventually returned to Yorkshire with nothing.
While the gulf between the two sets of players was very clear, journalist Joe Crann believes it may have been Rohl’s persistence in playing out from the back that cost them early on.
Writing for The Star, Crann said: “Passing it out from the back is much maligned by many, but the benefits of it have been clear to see under Röhl – he’s explained why it’s important, and why they’ll continue to do it. But even with that as part of the style, sometimes you just need to get rid.
“James Beadle didn’t, opting to go short to Will Vaulks, and as he was caught in possession Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was left to slot it into the box for Abdul Fatawu to slot into an open net. Not the start Wednesday wanted.
“After that it was pretty much one way traffic, Leicester – so quick on the ball, and so well drilled – seemed to toy with the Owls.”
Should Sheffield Wednesday play out from the back?
Playing out from the back has been the topic of many conversations across the football pyramid.
The likes of Manchester City and Liverpool have brought the tactics into popularity over recent years, with the likes of Alisson and John Stones pulling it off brilliantly.
Teams with quality players are able to build up from the back and control the game from their defence, without the worry of losing it.
However, you need the players to be able to do this. Sheffield Wednesday arguably don’t have the ball-playing defenders for that role, while James Beadle perhaps isn’t at the standard just yet either.
It may work against teams lower in the table, but Leicester City’s quality is significantly higher and they will quite easily pounce on any mistake.