There was hope that an international break could iron out the kinks. Sheffield Wednesday had been picking up results – wins and draws – without playing particularly coherently or well.
Yet Saturday was more of the same.
It took the Owls an hour to have a shot on goal against Huddersfield. That can’t be right. Not with the players they had on the pitch. Yet it’s indicative of what’s not working.
The number nine – whoever it is who starts up front – is too often isolated and at times anonymous. The wide players and number 10 aren’t connecting well enough with the front man, nor are the central midfielders.
The Owls have barely mustered anything in the first half against Huddersfield, Stockport or Salford in the EFL Trophy recently.
We’ve seen Davis Keillor-Dunn, never a winger, feature out wide – before it was made painfully clear on the pitch he’s better inside. Jamal Lowe has been asked to play out wide.
After half-time on Saturday, Callum Slattery seemingly shifted to the right wing. Yet it wasn’t clear because his position was pretty inverted, despite Harry Gray hugging the touchline on the left. Was he a wide-man or not? I said in the commentary: “What is this formation?”
It was the most unlikely come-from-behind 2-2 draw I can recall, with Huddersfield the architects of their own downfall. Head coach Martin Drury must be the only person to be inspired by Thomas Tuchel’s management against Argentina at the World Cup, given he adopted the same tactics.
Huddersfield blew it – and not only with their late-game approach. They messed up a 4 v 2 in the second half and if it wasn’t for two excellent Joe Lumley saves, they could’ve won comfortably.
Wednesday were gifted a route back in and had enough about them to create the chances to score two goals. But why did they need desperation and opponent surrender tactics to spark into life?
