Sheffield Wednesday may have come away from the Steel City derby with no points, but Danny Rohl will have learned a lot about his players, including one that absolutely deserves to start the next game.
In a tight, scrappy affair between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday afternoon, it was the home side who came out on top with a 1-0 win.
Danny Rohl saw his side put up a spirited fight against the Blades, but the Owls just lacked that killer instinct needed to make the most of their opportunities.
Indeed, statistics from the Steel City derby show Sheffield Wednesday had more chances, but failed to show the necessary composure in front of goal.
While some players struggled to make an impact on the game, others, particularly the players Rohl deployed in the second-half, did enough to impress and stake their claim on a starting spot next time out.
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Michael Smith impressed in Steel City derby
Danny Rohl took a gamble on Ike Ugbo for the Steel City derby, but sadly, it didn’t pay off. Instead, it was the cameo appearance for Michael Smith that caught the eye the most in attack.
The big striker entered the fray after 62 minutes, and immediately caused the United defence issues with his strength, aerial ability, and hold-up play.
While Smith didn’t register a shot, he was integral in getting Wednesday’s wider players into meaningful, dangerous positions, and showed particularly neat link-up play with Anthony Musaba down the right wing.
Given Smith’s form of late — he bagged two goals and an assist in his last two starts — it’s rather surprising he hasn’t retained his place in the first XI for the last two games.
Michael Smith wowed fans and pundits alike with his ‘spectacular’ goal against Portsmouth, and offers so much as a target man, both in terms of goalscoring ability, and his proficiency in dropping deeper and working hard off the ball.
After seeing the stark contrast in how effective Smith was versus how Ugbo struggled to impact the game, it is surely a no-brainer for the former to start against Cardiff after the international break.
Ike Ugbo continues to struggle
Speaking after the Steel City derby, Rohl insisted he still trusts Ike Ugbo and knows he will break his scoring duck soon enough.
The Canadian forward has not scored a league goal all season, and has looked out-of-sorts for weeks now. Ugbo is clearly a player low on confidence, and Rohl’s attempts to coerce a performance out of him by starting him in the last two games have not worked.
| Statistic | Michael Smith (2024/25) | Ike Ugbo (2024/25) |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 17 | 17 |
| Minutes played | 635 | 787 |
| Goals | 3 | 1 |
| Shots on target % | 44.4 | 36.4 |
| Shot-creating actions per 90 | 3.25 | 1.53 |
Now, it’s time to put Ugbo back on the bench, and challenge him to make a difference as a substitute instead. Perhaps, with the pressure of a spot in the starting XI off his shoulders, the striker could prove more useful as a game-changing player later on against Cardiff, when legs are tired.