Sheffield Wednesday lost 2-0 away at Leicester City in the Championship last night, with their fate on the night decided after a few minutes.
Sheffield Wednesday headed to the King Power Stadium last night for what they knew would be arguably their toughest game of the season.
But the Owls would’ve been buoyed by their previous performance against the league leaders; a 1-1 draw at Hillsborough back in November.
And in the end, last night’s performance was a relatively solid one for Danny Rohl‘s side, especially the second half where the Owls had more than their share of the ball and of shots.
But a goal from Issahaku Fatawu after just four minutes set Leicester on their way to victory, with the goal stemming from a James Beadle mistake.
James Beadle error proves costly at Leicester City
Beadle was caught under pressure with the ball at his feet, then giving it to Will Vaulks who had two Leicester City players closing in on him.
Needless to say, Leicester took their chance, and from that point on the Owls never looked like taking anything from the game.
It was a hugely disappointing start to the game, especially after Sheffield Wednesday looked so comfortable in the second half.
Having his say on the mistake, Rohl told The Star:
“It’s about decision making. After three minutes, they press, they have the front foot and are doing well in this case. We cannot speak and speak about every mistake. It is about learning, improvement as a team and this is an important key point. We have to lift up our teammate as a group because everybody makes mistakes. When you make mistakes as a goalkeeper it is always difficult, if you miss a chance up front then nobody talks about it. I protect my players. The second half was much, much better and this is what we will take.”
Function over form needed at Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday deserve praise for trying to play a certain way, and often looking good when doing so.
But away at Leicester City; a team who play the same style but with a much more expensive and in form team, Rohl and Sheffield Wednesday could’ve done with simply clearing themselves of danger at times.
And that first goal was a moment where the 19-year-old Beadle should’ve simply cleared his line rather than persist with the passing game, and if he had done so then the complexion of the game could’ve been completely different.
He’s still a young goalkeeper though. It was only a few days ago when many were singing his praises for keeping a clean sheet against Birmingham City, and he pulled off a couple of good saves last night as well.
Against the league’s big-hitters, Rohl might have to slightly alter his philosophy, but against anyone else, Sheffield Wednesday should try to do their thing.
Up next is a trip to Millwall this weekend.