Sheffield Wednesday: They keep on going forward, but defence still a worry despite the streak
A 1-1 draw with Preston North End may have seen Sheffield Wednesday extend their unbeaten run to four games but it was a game that left many of the fans less than satisfied. While Wednesday were outright dominant in the first half declaratively speaking, they hardly overpowered the match: the breakthrough happened only in the 14th minute when Emil Riis Jakobsen put Preston on the lead.
Although it was Liam Palmer that received most of the fan anger, it was Yan Valery who was targeted for criticism by Dom Howson. The defenders momentary loss of concentration let Preston launched a quick counter-attack that led to the Riis’ goal. Howson took to social media to express his disappointment, stating: “That was very bad defending from Valery in the case of Preston’s goal.” Basically got caught day dreaming and failed on picking up his runner from a throw that was made in a flash. Another fatal blunder, by an old hand.
Wednesday’s failure to avoid costly mistakes is something that has plagued the team for most of the current campaign. A recurring theme with the Owls has been their ability to salvage draws from defeat and it is these finer margins that is restraining the team from better performances.
That draw away at Preston has taken Wednesday up the Championship table to ninth place but Rohl’s team knows they should be higher. These fragile behavioural traits will be instrumental in their endeavours of attaining a position amongst the top six.
With the easy fixtures coming up, Wednesday has every reason to continue building up such a performance which will see them rise through the rankings. However, they should do that while fixing their defensive problems and acquiring a method that will bring a killer instinct in front of the goal.