Sheffield Wednesday struggled in the final third once again as they were held to a home draw against Cardiff City in the Championship.
The Owls drew 1-1 with Cardiff at Hillsborough, despite spending the majority of the second half in the opposition’s half.
After Di’Shon Bernard equalised for The Owls in the first half, they looked by far the more likely to find a winner in the game. Josh Windass chipped a ball over the bar after being played through and substitute Anthony Musaba forced Jak Alnwick into a superb save towards the end of the match.
Even with the addition of Michael Smith up front for Wednesday, their play in the final third left a lot to be desired. One man who epitomised this the most was Ike Ugbo, whose poor performance garnered criticism from a former Sheffield United star on commentary.
Andy Walker critical of Ike Ugbo’s performance vs Cardiff
Commentating on the game for Sky Sports+, former Sheffield United man Andy Walker had a lot to say about Ugbo’s display against Cardiff City.
After Ugbo missed a chance early in the first half, Walker said: “Ugbo has to have a better end product. He takes too many touches. When you see him in that sort of form, it’s no wonder he only has one goal this season.”
later in the half, Ugbo once again delayed taking a shot at goal and let another opportunity go to waste, frustrating Walker once more.
He said: Again, you want him to have a better end product! In that last third, it’s so important to keep your concentration and get your shot away early.”
Clearly, though, Walker did feel a level of empathy for Ugbo as a former striker. After Ugbo was denied from a yard out by Jak Alnwick, Walker said: “What does he [Ugbo] have to do to get a goal?”
Danny Rohl will continue to support Ugbo through his poor patch in front of goal but his stats from the Cardiff match must be concerning for the Sheffield Wednesday manager.
Stats highlight Ugbo’s struggles
Before being taken off in the 75th minute, Ugbo only managed 21 touches vs Cardiff City, with only three coming in the opposition box.
He managed one shot on target, which was hit straight at Alnwick in goal. Ugbo also struggled to help his side in possession, winning just one of his eight duels including none of his aerial challenges. Even his passing accuracy of 80% came from a measly 10 passes.
The Sheffield Wednesday squad isn’t blessed with striking options so Ugbo will likely keep his place in the team for the foreseeable future, but performances like these may force the hand of Dejphon Chansiri to secure a new striker in the January transfer window.