George Byers has cemented his place in the Sheffield Wednesday XI under Danny Rohl. But he could soon be fearing for his spot in the XI.
Sheffield Wednesday favourite Byers has had a bit of a stop-start season.
The 27-year-old played a key role last time round and earned himself a ‘fan favourite’ tag in the process, but this season hasn’t been his best.
He was in and out of the XI under Xisco Munoz but has since started the last eight under Rohl, playing an important part in this current upturn in form.
The Star rated his last performance vs Stoke City as a 6/10, with Joe Crann adding:
“Another solid display in midfield from Byers, working hard for everything and trying to set the tone for the game when he could. Not his best passing display, but played an important role.”
Momo Diaby stepping up return to action
One player yet to feature under Rohl is Momo Diaby.
The Frenchman sustained a rather serious leg injury on his debut vs Preston North End back in August and hasn’t featured since.
But he showed a lot of class on his debut during what was a dire run of form and many are eagerly awaiting his return to the side.
Last month, Rohl said of the 27-year-old:
“It’s step by step now, he’s had his first training session out on the pitch to start running, and this is the process. We’ll see how far he is, and when he’s ready to play again then it’s about getting some minutes in the U21s and seeing how good his performances are. Step by step he’ll come back to the first team.”
And over the weekend, it was revealed that Diaby had started an U21s game for Sheffield Wednesday.
Diaby isn’t currently registered with the Sheffield Wednesday first-team, but he can be registered for the second half of the campaign should Rohl wish to bring him in, as per The Star.
Does Diaby replace Byers in the Sheffield Wednesday XI?
There’s a few things to consider here.
The first is whether or not Rohl even chooses to register Diaby in the Wednesday first-team for the second half of the season.
Rohl will be taking a good look at Diaby in training, but after his impressive debut earlier in the campaign, fans will surely be keen to see Diaby back in action, and the midfielder will surely impress Rohl enough to earn a spot.
And with John Buckley and Jeff Hendrick facing potential returns to their parent clubs in January, a spot in the midfield could well open up for Diaby.
Diaby is a very physical player who could offer something a bit different to Byers.
Will Vaulks is currently the steel in Wednesday’s midfield and he’s in fantastic form, but Diaby could yet offer some added protection, with his array of passing perhaps as good as Byers’.
Rohl seems to be favouring a formation with three central midfielders; Barry Bannan and Vaulks are almost guaranteed starters going forward, but Byers’ position could be up for grabs.
As Crann points out above, Byers puts in the graft and is proving to be a solid player under Rohl, but against Stoke, his passing was a bit off and that could be something that Rohl looks to address.
However, we still know very little about Diaby and what kind of player he is, and so whether he’s a like-for-like with Byers remains up for debate, but his return certainly gives Rohl food for thought with regards that midfield area.
Up next for the Owls is a trip to Norwich City tomorrow night.