Wayne Rooney identified one key Sheffield Wednesday player that made the difference in the opening game of the season.
Sheffield Wednesday started off their 2024/25 Championship campaign in incredible fashion as they saw off Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle in a 4-0 victory.
Star performers were dotted across the pitch for Danny Rohl’s side, especially when it came to debutants, with Svante Ingelsson putting on an incredible show in the centre-of-the-park for the Owls.
Yan Valery was also another that impressed for Sheffield Wednesday on his first competitive game, where he was able to completely revolutionise the right-flank alongside Djeidi Gassama, and as a result was given raving reviews for his efforts.
However, there was one key Sheffield Wednesday man that Rooney singled out as to who Plymouth Argyle ‘didn’t get close enough to’ and as a result ‘ran the game’ for the Owls at Hillsborough.
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Wayne Rooney highlights Barry Bannan who ‘ran the game’ for Sheffield Wednesday
Whilst Ingelsson put in a masterclass at working tirelessly and closing down the opposition, Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan was given the freedom and time of the midfield to spray the ball around and almost dictate the game to his pace.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Rooney said: “Everything that we spoke to the team about before today – with regards to Sheffield Wednesday’s threats – was about crosses into the box, cutbacks, and trying to stop Barry Bannan getting on the ball.
“I think Bannan ran the game, we didn’t get close enough to him, and we weren’t aggressive enough.”
Per SofaScore, Bannan managed six successful long balls in the game, and played three key passes, one of which found Ingelsson, who set up Jamal Lowe for the first goal of the game.
Danny Rohl has built Sheffield Wednesday to get the best out of Barry Bannan
Sheffield Wednesday’s side has almost been crafted to perfectly match up with the abilities of Bannan in the midfield.
A key example is Ingelsson, whose performance quite simply unlocked the very best out of the Scotsman, and it is in fact the case that the entire side has been built around the captain to get the best out of him.
From the overloading of the wide options with both Valery and Max Lowe working offensive on both flanks, to Lowe looking to make runs off the shoulder of the last defender, they are giving Bannan endless opportunities at spraying the ball long and creating a chance out of nowhere, something that the midfield undoubtedly thrives at.
Bannan has been nothing but a true servant and crucial figure to Sheffield Wednesday during his tenure at the club, and despite his age, he continues to defy the odds of running Championship games off of his own back.