Sheffield Wednesday’s defence could not cope with Watford at the weekend, and they face another formidable attack today when they play Norwich City, leaving Danny Rohl with big decisions to make.
It was a weekend to forget for the Owls, who collapsed in a 6-2 defeat to Watford at Hillsborough despite the scores being level at 1-1 at half-time.
The manner of the defeat was just as disappointing as the result, with the Wednesday defence showing worrying signs of frailty.
Rohl immediately took steps to fix that after the game, and the fanbase are expecting things to change tonight when Norwich visit S6.
Norwich will pose just as much threat as Watford, if not more, going forward, and Rohl will have to act accordingly to ensure his team have a chance of bouncing back this week.
Three-man midfield can offer stability for Sheffield Wednesday
Norwich have scored 23 goals this season, the joint-highest tally in the Championship, with only league leaders Sunderland matching those attacking returns.
The prolific Borja Sainz has scored 11 of those goals, and will certainly be one to watch for the Wednesday defenders.
Rohl is known to switch up his formation regularly, and his tactical flexibility does give the Owls the chance to combat the threat Norwich pose, if he moves to a three-man midfield as part of a 3-5-2 setup.
Having the three centre-backs and utilising wing-backs would offer stability at the back, while packing the midfield with two holding players and a playmaker would give Wednesday a better chance of breaking up attacks before they become a real problem.
Svante Ingelsson set for a return in Sheffield Wednesday midfield
One player who could — and should — benefit from such a change, is Svante Ingelsson. So far this season, fans have largely been unimpressed with the new signing, but he has the potential to turn that around with a big performance.
The Swedish star prefers to play higher up the pitch, getting in behind the attackers, and that propensity for roaming around free space could be very useful as Wednesday look to exploit a Norwich defence that has been shipping goals of late.
Ingelsson is also capable of dropping deeper and supporting in the middle of the park, meaning he can really help the likes of Barry Bannan and Shea Charles when possession is turned over.
Whether Rohl will trust the 26-year-old — who has not featured since the 0-0 draw against Swansea in late October — in such an important game remains to be seen, but it’s the kind of risky alteration that could pay dividends if he’s bold enough to go for it.