Sheffield Wednesday go into their first game under new boss Danny Rohl this weekend, with the Owls heading to Watford.
Sheffield Wednesday fans are eagerly awaiting to see what their new, young coach can do with this misfiring set of players.
The Owls remain winless in the Championship after the opening 11 games but they take on a Watford side who’ve won just twice in the league this season.
And for Rohl too, it’ll certainly be a learning curve. The former Southampton, RB Leipzig, and Bayern Munich assistant was most recently with the German national side working under Hansi Flick, in what was certainly a tough spell for the latter.
And speaking in the most recent episode of the EFL Podcast with David Prutton, Sky Sports commentator and pundit Daniel Mann gave a rather damning assessment of Germany under Flick, saying:
“He’s had a terrific apprenticeship. I must say that it can’t go much worse than what’s he’s experienced recently with Hansi Flick, and I’ve been covering Germany’s games this year, and if ever there was a team without a rudder, it’s them. Every tactical idea seemed to be implemented rather half-heartedly, and there was a sense that every occasion seemed to be doom-laden, every time they walked onto the field.”
Mann added on Rohl:
“There’s a sense that he can’t really lose. His reputation in Germany is going to be seriously affected by what happens at Sheffield Wednesday. We know the club is in a less than perfect situation and really have been for some considerable time in a very difficult space.
“Who knows; could he be another [David] Wagner or [Daniel] Farke? That’s the question people are asking. He’s certainly got the coaching credentials. The ultimate question is; do Sheffield Wednesday have the quality to do it in the Championship?”
Could Rohl be the next best thing?
Farke and Wagner are certainly two exaples of qualified, German coaches coming to England and enjoying success.
Both are still in English football after severla eyars and so that shows their credential,s but for Rohl, he arguably takes on a much more difficult task than either Wagner or Farke did.
He’s got to get this poor group of players up and out of the relegaiton zone, but like Mann suggests, it’s a bit of a win-win for Rohl who has little to lose here.
Nobody expects him to keep the club up and if he can get a few wins then it’ll surely go down as a success for him.
Sheffield Wednesday vs Watford kicks off at 3pm on Saturday.