Danny Rohl has provided a concerning injury update on important Sheffield Wednesday pairing.
Sheffield Wednesday’s impressive form was brought to a sour ending this weekend as they were thrashed 6-0 by Ipswich Town.
Their loss to Leeds United last time out was easier to swallow given how large the task at hand was, but they were truly bullied at Portman Road and have now picked up zero points and conceded eight goals in their last two matches.
The Owls got lucky elsewhere though and still remain only a point from safety, so will look to brush themselves off and go again after a humiliating afternoon.
However, two permanent reminders of their trip to Ipswich will be the absences of both Barry Bannan and Ian Poveda.
The former was forced off with an injury at half-time yesterday, while his Colombian teammate lasted an extra eight minutes before he was replaced by Momo Diaby.
Rohl has now provided an update on the duo’s injuries to The Star. He said: “This is maybe the bigger defeat.
“It could be that both players are out for a couple of weeks, but lets have a look… I think for Ian it’s not possible to go to the national team with his muscle injury, but hopefully with Barry it goes well. At the moment it’s hard, for four months we’ve played really at our limit and sometimes over it…
“They could be a risk for the Swansea game, but the good thing is that we have one week where we can recover, and then a second week – but we then have a game on the Friday and the Monday.”
Can Sheffield Wednesday cope without Bannan & Poveda?
While there is no real positives to take from the absence of two of Sheffield Wednesday‘s most important players, the upcoming international break does at least mean it will have less of an impact on the first team.
Hopefully the pair will just miss out on the clash with Swansea City next week, but anything more could be a real bruise to the team’s chances of staying up.
Poveda has been ‘excellent‘ since joining from Leeds United on loan, while Bannan remains one of the Owls’ most important players. George Byers’ loan exit in January leaves the club very short in midfield, so the veteran’s injury could leave a giant hole in the squad for the near future.
Thankfully, the international break should also allow the team to reenergise and refresh, after what has been a long few months.
The absence of Bannan and Poveda will put a lot more responsibility on others shoulders though, as the team certainly can’t afford to suffer a home defeat to the Swans.