Sheffield Wednesday have suffered this season in one particular defensive aspect.
All optimism that was riding off of the back of a brilliant summer transfer window for Danny Rohl’s side appears to have been frittered away after three successive defeats in the Championship have left Sheffield Wednesday in 20th position.
The Owls have struggled across the pitch, with the season opener at home to Plymouth Argyle appearing to be an anomaly, with not a single goal scored in the most recent three fixtures.
Aside from the attacking side, Sheffield Wednesday have been far from efficient when defending as well, conceding nine goals in the previous three.
Sheffield Wednesday’s defence has certainly been leaky up to this point, and there is an emphasis on the difficulties that Rohl’s side has when defending from set-pieces, something that the German boss has a real cause for concern over at this point.
Danny Rohl highlights set-pieces as the main issue Sheffield Wednesday ‘must sort out’
Four games into the season, Sheffield Wednesday lead the way in the unflattering stat that shows that they have conceded to most goals from set-pieces in the 2024/25 campaign.
As a result, Rohl has rightfully highlighted the necessity to correct this issue by bringing in Ben King, a new member of the backroom staff to help with set-pieces.
Speaking to The Star, Rohl said: “We know we have to improve this part [set pieces].
“The second conceded goal and the third was also from a set piece, the goal in the cup against Grimsby, Sunderland two set pieces. It’s too much.
“But set pieces are a part of football. In general we have conceded too many goals and we will work to improve as soon as possible.
“He [King] will help us, he will support us with the details, to help us find the right set ups with the set pieces.
“This is on one side a tactical thing on another it is about having the right attitude, the mindset from the players and what it means.
“I am happy that he is here but of course beside set pieces we have other problems and this is something I must sort out.”
Danny Rohl must look to first solve ‘attitude’ issues for set-pieces
Rohl has said that his players must have the correct ‘mindset’ on set-pieces and how crucial they are to his side.
Being inefficient with offensive set-pieces with the likes of Barry Bannan likely playing in the ball, as well as defensively with tall players such as Svante Ingelsson, Di’Shon Bernard and Dominic Iorfa is certainly a cause for concern. The personnel certainly isn’t an issue, so the cause of the concern must certainly be the players attitude.
It will fully be up to Rohl to correct this proactively during the international break and place extra emphasis on looking to make the most of set-piece situations, whether his side are defending or are on the front-foot.
It has already had a massively negative impact on the start of the season, and it will be a real test to Rohl’s abilities as a coach and his influence over the players if he is able to quash this major issue head-on.
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