Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl should turn to Pol Valentin after the suspension of Callum Paterson.
29-year-old Patterson was recently suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season, which resulted in a one-match ban.
This means that Rohl will be without his first choice right wing back when they head to St Andrew’s to face Birmingham City next weekend.
What are Rohl’s options?
Wednesday do have a number of options for that position, with stalwart Liam Palmer currently having a spell out of the team but could well be brought in.
Rohl could also use a wildcard option in Anthony Musaba, with Joe Crann of the Sheffield Star recently hinting that he could use the winger. He said: “A big threat going forward, could be a wildcard option given his ability to get up the pitch – however his defensive output is certainly limited.”
But one player he could bring back into the team to use is that of Pol Valentin.
Valentin is the answer
Valentin is a 26-year-old right back who made the move to Yorkshire in late July, joining from Sporting Gijon in the Spanish second division for an undisclosed fee.
Described as ‘hard-working’, Valentin has made ten appearances since his arrival in the summer, being former manager Xisco Munoz’s first choice right back at the start of the season.
When Rohl first took charge, he played with four at the back in his first two games, with Valentin starting at right back.
But since Rohl’s change to a three-at-the-back with wing-backs, Valentin has been relegated to the bench, not even featuring in the squad for the loss to Millwall on Saturday.
Valentin would bring a lot more pace down the right-hand side compared to Patterson, something which Wednesday sometimes lack in the wide areas.
Valentin is also better in possession, with a 75% success rate when it comes to dribbles, completing 12. He is also good defensively, winning 59.6% of his duels, putting him in the top 12% in the Championship for this stat (all stats came from FotMob).
You would argue that playing right wing-back in Rohl’s current system would suit Valentin better, so there is no reason why he should not be given a shot.