Sheffield Wednesday can continue their unbeaten run against Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night, but Danny Rohl needs to start one player if he is to get a result.
After the draw against Preston North End on Saturday, disappointing as it was to drop points, Sheffield Wednesday are now undefeated in their last four games and have climbed to ninth place in the table.
Danny Rohl will be hoping his team can get back to winning ways against Blackburn in midweek, and the Sheffield Wednesday manager has demanded a ‘reaction’ from his players for the game.
Blackburn are the most in-form team in the Championship right now, though, and it will take a massive effort for the Owls to get the win.
Svante Ingelsson’s work rate can be key to Sheffield Wednesday success
Luckily, Rohl has exactly the kind of player he needs to get the upper hand in this kind of game, and he told everyone as much in his comments to the press just last week.
Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of Svante Ingelsson, Rohl unconsciously highlighted the fact that the Swedish midfielder is the ideal fit for the challenge Blackburn present.
Rohl commented on Ingelsson’s “physical, strong side” and his propensity for “powerful deep runs,” citing the way he stuck to “the task” against Norwich City when he was constantly “working against the ball” to help the Owls to a 2-0 win.
The Sheffield Wednesday boss also suggested Svante Ingelsson is not as effective in games where the Owls enjoy more possession, and doesn’t work as well in “tighter” spaces.
Against a Blackburn Rovers side who play expansive football, and who have a better average possession percentage over the season than Sheffield Wednesday (46.7% and 45.4% respectively), we can expect the visiting side to try and dominate the middle of the park at Hillsborough.
| Team | Average possesssion | Championship rank |
|---|---|---|
| Blackburn Rovers | 46.7% | 16 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 45.4% | 18 |
But, that style of play implemented by John Eustace will leave gaps that Sheffield Wednesday can exploit, and Ingelsson’s high energy, intense work rate can be the key to unlocking that side of the game.
Ingelsson would likely operate in a narrow winger role tucked in behind the striker, but would offer the option of dropping deeper when Wednesday are out of possession to add extra bite and presence in midfield.
That approach would be perfect for restricting a Blackburn side who are mightily impressive on the ball and who love to break the lines and create counter-attacking moves.
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Danny Rohl needs to use Svante Ingelsson more often
For one reason or another, Ingelsson has not featured as much as he would probably have hoped yet this season.
That could be down to the fact that he doesn’t quite seem to fit into Rohl’s preferred system at this moment in time — he’s not a deep midfielder like Barry Bannan and Shea Charles, and he’s not an out-and-out winger either.
Instead, Ingelsson is more of a mutli-purpose tool Rohl can use in very specific situations, and the challenge presented by Blackburn Rovers is certainly one where the Swedish star would be very useful indeed.
Hopefully, Ingelsson can get more game time under his belt and keep improving, as Rohl learns more about one of the most exciting and enigmatic of Sheffield Wednesday’s summer signings.