Sheffield Wednesday were thumped 4-0 at Southampton yesterday. And although it’s hard to pick at a defeat against a top team, there is one criticism of the Owls boss.
Sheffield Wednesday knew they were in for a tough game against 3rd place Southampton yesterday.
The Saints went into yesterday’s game unbeaten in 18 and on the back of some heavy home wins against the likes of Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City in recent weeks.
And Southampton put in a dominant, clinical second half display to eventually win 4-0.
The Owls had their chances and if one of them had gone in and made the score 1-1, or 2-1, it may not have been such an easy afternoon for Russell Martin’s Southampton.
Danny Rohl reminded fans of the gap between his and Martin’s side after the game; though in fact it’s more of a gulf, with plenty of money standing between a team of Sheffield Wednesday’s quality and one of Southampton’s quality.
But despite that, Rohl may well come under some slight criticism for one aspect of today’s game, which has been an aspect of the last few weeks now.
Rohl changes and persistence with players an early Sheffield Wednesday criticism
It’s hard to pick out flaws in Rohl’s Sheffield Wednesday tenure so far.
With the players and resources he’s got, he’s working wonders. He’s getting the very best out of his players and he’s given Sheffield Wednesday a definite chance of survival this season; so much so that many expect the Owls to stay up this season.
But one minor criticism might be Rohl’s insistence to select certain players.
Yesterday saw Bambo Diaby return to the XI after a three-game suspension. He played in the middle of defence alongside the solid Michael Ihiekwe, with Di’Shon Bernard in midfield.
And Diaby had a bit of a shocker. He came under widespread criticism after the game and it’s definitely not the first time that’s happened this season.
Yet Diaby has kept his place in the XI for the bulk of the season, under both Xisco Munoz and Rohl.
And Cameron Dawson may fall into the same category; although he made no glaring errors yesterday, he’s kept his place in the XI despite criticism from fans over the past couple of months, and many wanted to see new signing James Beadle given a start.
On a similar note, Rohl seems like he’s yet to find his best defensive line.
Diaby’s suspension saw Rohl experiment with different centre-pairings and different full-backs.
Many will argue that Di’Shon Bernard is the club’s best centre-back, yet he’s played at right-back and in midfield in recent weeks, with others playing in the middle of defence.
Ihiekwe has looked good in the last few weeks and so he and Bernard should surely be Rohl’s starting centre-backs going forward, but we might have said the same of Bernard and Diaby a few weeks ago, yet that pairing was changed on occasion in December.
Marvin Johnson appears to be cementing his place at left-back, and Liam Palmer at right-back; Pol Valentin though has been giving him some strong competition for the starting berth.
Diaby might do well to keep his place in the XI after his performance yesterday. But if Rohl starts him and he has another poor game then it’s on Rohl.
A settled defensive line will allow the Owls to become a more solid defensive unit, though it’s also clear that new signings remain a priority.