Sheffield Wednesday (h) - 13:00 Sunday - What can we expect?

[Matthew me]

Dave, being deadly serious, your write ups are so much better than the official pre match views or anything written in the evening post.

You really should submit your work to city and ask if you can do the official pre match preview for the website. You'd have plenty of support from otib 

If I was Gregor, I'd be having sleepless nights. Perhaps a contract to write in the EP also?

For fans not using otib, they're missing out on your preview . It's genuinely a great read.

Congratulations to you! And thanks for doing it for us!

 

[Clevedon Red]

12 hours ago, chinapig said:

@DavefevsI think you need to give us a timetable of when you intend to post these threads and an outline of the contents in advance.

In other words we expect you to tell us when we can expect what can we expect and what we can expect from what can we expect.

I didn’t expect that. 

[Lanterne Rouge]

8 minutes ago, Clevedon Red said:

I didn’t expect that. 

No-one expects the..............

i`ll get me coat.

[downendcity]

19 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Cmon at least colour the numbers in correctly.  What?  It’s not a paint by numbers!

Have to say Dave that the amount of work and detail you put into your posts is astounding and certainly puts my ( and many others) glib and flippant posts in the shade.

I’m no expert on the type of research and reports that pro teams use in match their  preparation, but bearing in mind the amount of resource and material to which they have access, I suspect that your efforts measure up pretty well.

I am just going to enrol in an Open University course so I can properly understand your detailed graphs and diagrams!  

 

[Simon bristol]

15 hours ago, bcfc01 said:

Wonder if we might see a surprise inclusion or on the bench from a player returning from injury ?

 

Or kalas and Dasilva to start

[downendcity]

19 hours ago, Robbored said:

Tomorrow will be the first Deano will have to decide how to stifle  Bannan - if he does decide to stiffle him. Maybe he doesn’t rate BB as highly as LJ did.......... That’s why it’ll be interesting to see what midfielders Deano selects tomorrow.

However if Bannan is allowed free reign at AG he’ll boss the game.

 

Today will be the first time Monk will have to decide how to stifle Bakinson...............

 

[ashton_fan]

I'm not sure what to expect today, There seems to be a pattern emerging where we're beating teams with inferior squads (Exeter, Northampton, Coventry) but Villa who have a much stronger squad ruthlessly exposed our weaknesses in defence. Stoke have a decent squad but don't score many goals so didn't test our defence too much. If we're going to challenge for the top 6 we need an extra left CB and left WB. Our 3 experienced CB's are all injury-prone, as is Dasilva who is our only proper LWB. We can play Elliasson, O'Dowda or Rowe at LWB against weaker sides and get away with it but I can see the top teams scoring regularly against us unless we strengthen in those areas, either that or we'll have to change to a back four if we run out of CB's. Currently can see us finishing in our usual position just above mid-table but with more entertainment than in previous years.

Today will be a good test of where we are, I can see goals at both ends hopefully we'll win 2-1 or 3-2.

[Tinmans Love Child]

21 hours ago, Davefevs said:

 

Sheffield Wednesday: [Sunday 27th September – 13:00] – What can we expect?

Wednesday travel to Ashton Gate on Sunday having made a decent start to the season with a win at Cardiff and a draw at home to Watford so far.  It leaves them with four points, two clean sheets, but of course they still find themselves in 24^th place due to a 12-point deduction for financial irregularities.  For now, it does not appear to be a millstone around their neck.  They progressed in the Carabao Cup with wins at Walsall on penalties and Rochdale but conceded their first goals of the season at Fulham on Wednesday evening as they exited the competition.

Manager:

Wednesday are managed by Garry Monk, the 41 year-old former Southampton and Swansea player who almost joined Bristol City as a player previously.  He arrived in September last year, having previously been at Swansea, Leeds, Middlesbrough and Birmingham, and is therefore very experienced at Championship level.   

Figure 1 – Garry Monk becoming the Owls manager

Last season started well, Monk taking them into the playoff places when beating us 1-0 in November, but then fell off a cliff with only four more wins the rest of the season.  Under Monk they ended up in a very disappointing 16^th place and would’ve been relegated had the 12-point penalty been administered immediately.

Figure 2 - Wednesday under Monk 2019-20 (source: Transfermarkt)

Recruitment:

Wednesday have had a busy summer albeit with limited funds available.  Only two players have come in for fees:

§  Josh Windass – from Wigan (£500k) having been on loan last season

§  Fisayo Dele-Bashiru – from Manchester City (undisc.)

Five more have joined on a free transfer, loan or returned from loan:

§  Chey Dunkley – Wigan

§  Elias Kachunga – Huddersfield

§  Izzy Brown – loan from Chelsea

§  Joost van Aken – returned from Osnabrück (2. Bundesliga)

§  Matt Penny – returned from St. Pauli (2. Bundesliga)

Going out the door is a lot of experience, but importantly a considerable portion of the wage budget too:

§  Atdhe Nuhiu – free

§  Fernando Forestieri – free

§  Sam Winnall – free

§  Steven Fletcher – free

§  Morgan Fox – free

§  Jacob Murphy – end of loan (Newcastle)

§  Connor Whickham – end of loan (Crystal Palace) There is significantly less aerial threat at the club as a result, and City certainly suffered from the triumvirate of Fletcher, Nuhiu and Whickham in recent times.  Wednesday are possibly a bit light in true centre-forward options as a result (Rhodes, Windass and Kachunga).

Formation / System:

Monk has been an advocate of a back four (442 / 4231) over his managerial career, but post-Covid has switched to the en-vogue 352.  His teams are usually well-drilled and based upon a good defensive shape. The rigid 442 he used at Birmingham with Jutkiewicz and Adams up front appears to have evolved at Wednesday.  Switching to a 352 has allowed Bannan to have more support in the centre of the park whilst not being burdened with sole responsibility for creativity.  A problem not unbeknown to City fans who have long questioned a midfield two in their own team selection!

Figure 3 - Formation against Watford (19^th September) – although Luongo (10) typically plays as the deeper midfielder.

It will be interesting to see whether removing Tom Lees as captain and giving it to Bannan will cause any problems in the dressing-room, and whether Bannan gives greater leadership on the pitch.  Some Owls fans believe it will be a masterstroke of man-management.

Build-up play:

Wednesday aren’t a team that build attacks through their goalkeeper and back-three, preferring to go long in the main.  The focus is often through the middle, where the midfield three are positioned for loose balls or the second striker running beyond for a flick on.  Wednesday’s players are expecting the long ball and therefore get into really good positions for whatever happens next.  They will also use the space behind the defence for Rhodes to run onto. 

Figure 4 - long ball from Dawson (GK) to Rhodes with Wednesday in good shape to win the next ball (v Cardiff)

The Press:

That extra man in the middle of the park allows Wednesday to press balls played into the midfield much more effectively than when it was just a two-man midfield.  The trio of Izzy Brown, Massimo Luongo and Barry Bannan can work efficiently to pounce on any mistakes.  They are aided by the energy of Josh Windass and to a lesser extent Jordan Rhodes dropping back from the centre forward positions.  In their two league matches so far, they’ve restricted Cardiff and Watford to very low number of passes before breaking up play.  Without crowds you can clearly hear the coaching staff bellowing – “PRESS, PRESS, PRESS”!

Figure 5 - Rhodes presses Cardiff’s Bacuna (no7), Windass closes the passing option(s) and Brown ready to pounce.

Figure 6 - a sloppy pass (red arrow) into no-man's land by Bacuna, Brown reads it (blue arrow) and intercepts.

Figure 7 - Brown wins the loose ball, and feeds Windass with a first-time pass, who is already running forward.

In the example above, Brown’s first-time pass sets Windass free, the Cardiff defenders are caught out, and Windass goes on to score to put the Owls 1-0 up.  Against Watford last Saturday there were several similar examples, with Penney (LWB) tucking-in to condense the space centrally.

Set-Pieces - Corners:

 We all know about the Owls corners from last season’s contests - City were undone for both goals at Ashton Gate post-Covid.  With Pat Mountain now taking responsibility for defensive set-pieces we will see if City have done their homework this time around. 

Figure 8 - Bannan inswinging corner to the near post, headed away on this occasion

Nothing innovative above, Wednesday will attempt to block City’s defenders to allow a free run to the near post.  Izzy Brown will attempt the same near-post routine from the left side.  

Set-Pieces – Free-Kicks:

Wednesday will also be a threat from free kicks.  With Bannan’s left foot and Brown’s right, they have the ability to change the angle of delivery wherever the ball is placed. 

Figure 9 - Bannan (left foot) reversing the angle for Iorfa to attack – note only 4 players in the penalty area

Figure 10 - Iorfa wins the first header, Windass the second and Rhodes the third – goal!

In the above example we see Bannan reverse the angle of the cross for Iorfa to attack, and Jordan Rhodes ultimately sniffs out another goal.

From Brown’s right foot, we see the more conventional option (see below), with the cross aimed between the lines of both posts.  

Figure 11 - Brown away-swinger, Bannan over the ball too to ensure opposition are kept on their toes (versus Watford)

Wednesday overload the penalty area with 4 players between near and far post, with van Aken making a run around the back in case the free kick is overhit.  This drags the defender behind Iorfa away, giving him more space to adjust and attack the ball.  In this example Iorfa heads wide.

Line-up:

GK: Cameron Dawson (25) – originally at rivals United as a youth player, joining the Owls in 2013.  Had loan spells locally at Alfreton and Chesterfield and has started to establish himself as the number one.  

RWB: Kadeem Harris (27) – hardworking winger who looks really at home in the wingback role.  Started at Wycombe before a move to Cardiff, joining Wednesday in the summer of 2019.  Can play on either side and likes to advance with the ball.  Loves a stepover - the “Wednesday Alan Walsh”!

RCB: Dominic Iorfa (25) – a player that really impressed me last season.  Remember seeing him for Wolves where he looked error-prone, but since had loans at Shrewsbury and Ipswich, has now grown physically and looks a really strong Championship centre-back, perhaps the three-man defensive has helped?  Threat in the opposition box too.

CB: Joost van Aken (26) – Dutch born defender formerly at Heerenveen, signed for £2.5m in 2017.  The 6’4” centre-back spent last season in Germany’s 2^nd Tier for Osnabrück featuring 22 times before injury curtailed his season.  

LCB: Tom Lees (29) – very physical defender who started at Leeds United.  Signed for Wednesday at the start of the 2014/15 season and has over 200 appearances for the Owls and over 300 at this level.  Recently lost the captaincy to Bannan.

LWB: Matt Penney (22) – Chesterfield born academy product who has started both league games this season.  Also spent last season in 2. Bundesliga - with St. Pauli, starting 13 games.

CM: Massimo Luongo (27) – Aussie international who began his career at Tottenham before signing for Swindon in 2013, having had two loan spells at the Wiltshire club.  Moved to QPR after the failed playoff bid in 2014/15 and was a key player for the hoops until a £1m transfer to Wednesday last summer.  Good all-round midfielder, his graft, coupled with neat and tidy passing allows Bannan and Brown to do their stuff.

CM: Barry Bannan (30) – experienced playmaker with a sweet left foot.  Scottish international who came to prominence at Aston Villa before moves to Leeds and Crystal Palace.  Joined the Owls on a free transfer in August 2015, making over 200 appearances, but only scored 11 goals – plenty of assists though.

AM: Izzy Brown (23) – Chelsea’s perennial loanee, with Wednesday acquiring his services this season. Previous loans at Vitesse (Holland), Rotherham, Huddersfield, Brighton, Leeds and Luton.  Very good at linking up with the forward players and an eye for a pass.  Should suit this Owls midfield nicely as the season progresses.

CF: Josh Windass (26) – son of Dean Windass, the Hull striker who broke our hearts at Wembley in 2007/08.  Started at Huddersfield before breaking through at Accrington, earning a move to Glasgow Rangers.  A £2.5m signing for Wigan in 2018, he moved to Wednesday on loan in January, completing a permanent move this summer.  Busy forward who can drop into the pocket to create space for his strike partner. My DANGERMAN. 

Figure 12 - with the family connection there can only be one dangerman - Josh Windass

CF: Jordan Rhodes (30) – vastly experienced goal scorer who has over £30m of transfer fees to his name.  Started at Ipswich before breaking through at Huddersfield in 2009/10 scoring 86 times in 3 seasons.  A £9m move to Blackburn followed where he continued to score heavily (84 in 169 games), prompting Boro to pay £10m for him.  After a year at Boro, Wednesday paid another £10m for him in 2017.  It hasn’t really worked out for him at Hillsborough and he’s had a loan at Norwich in 2018/19 season.  But he looks like his partnership with Josh Windass might bring back his scoring touch.

Other players who may feature:

GK: Joe Wildsmith (24) – come through the academy ranks and has now played over 50 games for the Owls. 

RB: Moses Odubajo (27) – former Brentford full-back who arrived on a free last summer.

CB: Julian Börner (29) – big, powerful German born centre-back who arrived from Armenia Bielefeld last summer. 

LW/RW: Adam Reach (27) – tricky wideman who loves a long-range goal.  A casualty of Monk’s 352 like our own Niclas Eliasson.  Formerly of Middlesbrough, with loans at Preston, Bradford and Shrewsbury.

CF/RW: Elias Kachunga (28) – Championship promotion winner with Huddersfield, having been part of Wagner’s German Revolution in 2016/17.  Signed this month on a free transfer.  Can operate in any of the forward positions.

How do we win?

1.     Deal with set-pieces

I’ve already covered the threat posed by Wednesday from set-pieces and the flexibility they have with delivery from Brown and Bannan, but in open play they can also cause City problems.

2.     How do you solve a problem like Barry Bannan?

Most City fans come away from games against Wednesday with quotes such as “if only we had a Barry Bannan in our side” or “Barry Bannan ran the show today”.  For such a threat I have never seen an obvious plan put in place to stop him, which is hugely surprising seeing as Lee Johnson often told us that he is the best midfielder in the division.  He’s been given free rein to play his own game, and therefore he’s really hurt us in past encounters.  

Figure 13 - Bannan (v Cardiff) [source: Wyscout]

Figure 14 - Bannan (v Watford) [source: Wyscout]

Figure 15 - Bannan heatmap (2020/21 season) showing how he likes the inside left position [source: Wyscout]

Firstly, City need to try to close off his short passing options and make him go long as much as possible.  Watford did this well and he barely made any passes in his favourite advanced inside left channel, resorting to longer balls and lower success rate.  You can see the difference in his passing map versus Cardiff where he was much more involved in the final third despite the Owls only having 37% possession.  City’s similar three-man midfield set-up might finally be the part of the antidote. 

Secondly, it’s not just a case a case of man-marking him.  He is the master of sucking his marker in nice and tight, and helping the ball “around the corner” first time and then picking up the next pass, taking his marker out of the game in the process. 

Figure 16 - Bannan sucks his marker onto him (v Barnsley)

In the example above, Bannan receives the ball and takes a good first touch.  He sucks the Barnsley defender towards him and then makes the pass before he is challenged.  Bannan continues his run forward into the space the defender has vacated. 

3.     Exploit the space down the sides of the centre-backs

Not dissimilar to Stoke in that the three Wednesday centre-backs don’t like being dragged into wide positions.  This is an all too common flaw in a system with a back-three and wingbacks. 

Figure 17 - narrow centre-backs, Harris caught by the run in behind him (v Cardiff).

Following a corner, Cardiff work the ball to their left wing, where Harris, Brown and Bannan are guilty of not tracking Hoilett’s run.  Bennett easily slides a pass to Hoilett who can then face up the nearest defender, who on this occasion is Rhodes.  A similar scenario happened on the other side where Penney was caught out by a quick throw-in over his head.   

4.     Deal with a poacher 

The final area of threat is the twin strike-force of Windass and Rhodes.  Rhodes has had a lot of success over the years with a more physical partner alongside him – Lee Novak (Huddersfield) and Rudi Gestede (Blackburn).  However, with Wednesday’s switch to 352 and less reliance on crossing, Windass has given them a different and necessary added dimension with his hard work and his ability to drop into pockets.  This allows Rhodes to focus on his speciality – making sure he gets into the penalty box.  Both of the relatively inexperienced pairing of Taylor Moore and Zak Vyner dealt well with the aerial threat of Vokes and Fletcher last Sunday in the win at Stoke, but they will a different test against a goal-hanger like Rhodes who reacts quicker and more instinctively than most in the box.

Prediction:

Ultimately it will be a tough test against a side with a lot of quality in certain areas, and I see there being chances at both ends.

Bristol City 2:2 Sheffield Wednesday

[Credit: Peter Løhmann (@ploehmann) for his Wednesday player insight]

 

 

[tin]

Assuming Bannan, Luongo and Brown play as a midfield three, that’s where the game will be won or lost. They will match us up in a 3-5-2, and that trio is better than Weimann, Pato and Bakinson, IMO. I expect a tight game. 

[old_eastender]

With their midfield, can't help but think it will be foolhardy to start with both Pato & Weimann, instead of having one of Massengo or Nagy to play alongside Bakinson. Weimann had his best game in ages against Stoke, so for me I'd drop Pato to the bench and ask Massengo to man mark BB.

[tin]

7 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

With their midfield, can't help but think it will be foolhardy to start with both Pato & Weimann, instead of having one of Massengo or Nagy to play alongside Bakinson. Weimann had his best game in ages against Stoke, so for me I'd drop Pato to the bench and ask Massengo to man mark BB.

Yeah, I agree it’ll be foolhardy to go in with those three but expect that’s the way we’ll go. I also agree Pato will be the weak link our three against their midfield. We could really do with Morrell and/or Williams in there today. I don’t think Massengo is the man to shadow Bannan. 

[Son of Fred]

7 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

With their midfield, can't help but think it will be foolhardy to start with both Pato & Weimann, instead of having one of Massengo or Nagy to play alongside Bakinson. Weimann had his best game in ages against Stoke, so for me I'd drop Pato to the bench and ask Massengo to man mark BB.

If your going with a 'man marker that's exactly what it has to be,,,a dedicated,single minded effort to seriously restrict that dangerman.

Anything less than this & you cause more issues than you solve..

I don't believe Massengo has the discipline/mentality to apply such a role....

[old_eastender]

11 minutes ago, Robert the bruce said:

If your going with a 'man marker that's exactly what it has to be,,,a dedicated,single minded effort to seriously restrict that dangerman.

Anything less than this & you cause more issues than you solve..

I don't believe Massengo has the discipline/mentality to apply such a role....

He did just that role away to Fulham last season, marking their play maker (Tom Cairney) and that was possibly our best performance of the season.

[chinapig]

13 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

With their midfield, can't help but think it will be foolhardy to start with both Pato & Weimann, instead of having one of Massengo or Nagy to play alongside Bakinson. Weimann had his best game in ages against Stoke, so for me I'd drop Pato to the bench and ask Massengo to man mark BB.

Isn't what you are suggesting exactly what LJ was criticised for - changing personnel and formation because of the opposition instead of focusing on our own game?

[Abraham Romanovich]

59 minutes ago, Clevedon Red said:

I didn’t expect that. 

[RedEyez]

25 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

With their midfield, can't help but think it will be foolhardy to start with both Pato & Weimann, instead of having one of Massengo or Nagy to play alongside Bakinson. Weimann had his best game in ages against Stoke, so for me I'd drop Pato to the bench and ask Massengo to man mark BB.

And this is exactly where LJ went wrong. Worrying too much about the opposition and not enough about what WE can do. 

9 minutes ago, chinapig said:

Isn't what you are suggesting exactly what LJ was criticised for - changing personnel and formation because of the opposition instead of focusing on our own game?

Ah beat me to it

[downendcity]

2 minutes ago, Abraham Romanovich said:

They do on OTIB! 

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, Kykoliko said:

Many chastised LJ for focussing too much on what the opposition can do and not necessarily allowing his own team to express themselves. Holden himself, at a recent press conference, alluded to a desire to remove any shackles to that effect and let the team play.

Yet here we are seemingly all in agreement that the key to winning this game is disrupting Wednesday's key man.

Football is a funny, fickle beast isn't it?

Anyway, Bannan is again the danger man, but does Holden have a plan? If that plan is Pato and Weimann then I suspect today might go down the pan.

In a post earlier in this thread I mentioned that what LJ did was change personnel and system, but still tried to play the same way.

So if Holden did that, I’d be suggested we were fickle too.

But I think Holden can make subtle changes like he did at Coventry, when altering Weimann’s position at the start of the second half, and making the side-CBs go wider to break the narrow press.  He’s showed an ability to trust his “formation” but alter the way we play within in.  Of course he then brought on Martin and Bakinson to fully turn the tide.

Im not saying there is a perfect correlation, but on balance, the team has been less effective with the ball with Diedhiou on the pitch.  Holden needs to solve that problem.

40 minutes ago, ashton_fan said:

I'm not sure what to expect today, There seems to be a pattern emerging where we're beating teams with inferior squads (Exeter, Northampton, Coventry) but Villa who have a much stronger squad ruthlessly exposed our weaknesses in defence. Stoke have a decent squad but don't score many goals so didn't test our defence too much. If we're going to challenge for the top 6 we need an extra left CB and left WB. Our 3 experienced CB's are all injury-prone, as is Dasilva who is our only proper LWB. We can play Elliasson, O'Dowda or Rowe at LWB against weaker sides and get away with it but I can see the top teams scoring regularly against us unless we strengthen in those areas, either that or we'll have to change to a back four if we run out of CB's. Currently can see us finishing in our usual position just above mid-table but with more entertainment than in previous years.

Today will be a good test of where we are, I can see goals at both ends hopefully we'll win 2-1 or 3-2.

Yes, good teams will expose weaknesses.  I don’t see there being much between us, Stoke or Wednesday....so it’s those mini-matches that will ultimately decide the match.  Last week we won most of them.  It was a strong team performance because the individuals won their mini-matches.

Yes, you are right, today will be a good barometer of where we are.  But for me I want to see if Holden’s purposeful, possession based football through the lines holds up again.  It has so far imho.  There will always be spells where the opposition gets on top.

33 minutes ago, Tinmans Love Child said:

The answer is 42, unless you forgot your towel!

26 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

With their midfield, can't help but think it will be foolhardy to start with both Pato & Weimann, instead of having one of Massengo or Nagy to play alongside Bakinson. Weimann had his best game in ages against Stoke, so for me I'd drop Pato to the bench and ask Massengo to man mark BB.

I suspect that thought has gone through Dean’s mind.

Roll on the 12:00 team announcement.

Roll on the 12:01 OTIB soothsayers giving their unconscious biased opinions on certain players.

[mozo]

39 minutes ago, tin said:

Assuming Bannan, Luongo and Brown play as a midfield three, that’s where the game will be won or lost. They will match us up in a 3-5-2, and that trio is better than Weimann, Pato and Bakinson, IMO. I expect a tight game. 

Wednesday's midfield have greater midfield intelligence, but Weimann and Pato have much more mobility than Bannan and Luongo. So, I think our boys need to use their energy and legs to disrupt the slower Wednesday engine room.

5 minutes ago, JonDolman said:

We have made Barry Bannan look better than he is.

Good player, but not as good as some people think imo

Yeah the deification of Bannan is a bit odd.

My Wednesday supporting family felt he had a poor season in 2019-20.

[old_eastender]

39 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

With their midfield, can't help but think it will be foolhardy to start with both Pato & Weimann, instead of having one of Massengo or Nagy to play alongside Bakinson. Weimann had his best game in ages against Stoke, so for me I'd drop Pato to the bench and ask Massengo to man mark BB.

 

21 minutes ago, chinapig said:

Isn't what you are suggesting exactly what LJ was criticised for - changing personnel and formation because of the opposition instead of focusing on our own game?

 

LJ was rightly criticised for making wholesale changes and having no defined formation. I'm suggesting swapping out one supposed midfield player with a real CM, no change to formation, to counter BB who if given free reign will run the game for Weds. 

[mozo]

10 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

In a post earlier in this thread I mentioned that what LJ did was change personnel and system, but still tried to play the same way.

So if Holden did that, I’d be suggested we were fickle too.

But I think Holden can make subtle changes like he did at Coventry, when altering Weimann’s position at the start of the second half, and making the side-CBs go wider to break the narrow press.  He’s showed an ability to trust his “formation” but alter the way we play within in.  Of course he then brought on Martin and Bakinson to fully turn the tide.

Im not saying there is a perfect correlation, but on balance, the team has been less effective with the ball with Diedhiou on the pitch.  Holden needs to solve that problem.

Yes, good teams will expose weaknesses.  I don’t see there being much between us, Stoke or Wednesday....so it’s those mini-matches that will ultimately decide the match.  Last week we won most of them.  It was a strong team performance because the individuals won their mini-matches.

Yes, you are right, today will be a good barometer of where we are.  But for me I want to see if Holden’s purposeful, possession based football through the lines holds up again.  It has so far imho.  There will always be spells where the opposition gets on top.

The answer is 42, unless you forgot your towel!

I suspect that thought has gone through Dean’s mind.

Roll on the 12:00 team announcement.

Roll on the 12:01 OTIB soothsayers giving their unconscious biased opinions on certain players. 

Just don't say it's a massively winnable game this time 

Only teasing!

[Matthew me]

BB is a better than average championship midfielder . Not a world beater.

If one man spreads such fear, I can't imagine what we'd be like in the Prem.

Players just need to remain tight to him, no space, and let him know we're there... If you know what I mean

He's due a bad game against us 

Still going for 2-0. Wells Double. 18th and 65th minute. Right foot and head.

Sheff W two shots on target. One hitting the post 

DH to wear white trainers, have two sips of water in the first half, followed by three in the second. 

Scotty to wear a beanie hat and have his teeth in

Attendance to be less than 50, including scouts from Norway and Syria 

Ref to give out three yellows and one red. 

1 min extra time first half, 4 second half

Or something close to that.. I dont like to be to specific 

[Mihai]

Do we have a stream for today ?

[Davefevs]

16 minutes ago, mozo said:

Wednesday's midfield have greater midfield intelligence, but Weimann and Pato have much more mobility than Bannan and Luongo. So, I think our boys need to use their energy and legs to disrupt the slower Wednesday engine room.

Yeah the deification of Bannan is a bit odd.

My Wednesday supporting family felt he had a poor season in 2019-20.

We used Weimann’s legs to cause Stoke’s midfield all manner of trouble last weekend.

I think the Bannan overtures are OTT.  Good player, but when you watch him have quiet games against other teams, you realise that it’s likely some posters will only have seen him against us.  If he played as well against everyone else as he has against us, Wednesday woukd be a top team or he would be in the Prem.

8 minutes ago, mozo said:

Just don't say it's a massively winnable game this time 

Only teasing!

Yes, bloody stupid comment from me.  Regretted posting it as I hit “submit reply”.  I will learn from this

[chinapig]

15 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

 

 

LJ was rightly criticised for making wholesale changes and having no defined formation. I'm suggesting swapping out one supposed midfield player with a real CM, no change to formation, to counter BB who if given free reign will run the game for Weds. 

You suggest Massengo or Nagy to play alongside Bakinson, which is indeed a change in formation.

I'm not necessarily against that but it does mean one fewer attacking midfielder, which doesn't seem to be Dean's preference.

We'll see if he does change that, though it would go against what he has said about not focusing too much on the opposition.

[Major Isewater]

4 hours ago, Garland-sweden said:

Remember two latest games vs SW, Bannan run the show. It will be Interesting to see how we will act in midfield. 

Bakinson will own Banana. 
Gotta love predictive text !

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, Robert the bruce said:

don't believe Massengo has the discipline/mentality to apply such a role....

I believe exactly the opposite. I believe Massengo is excellent in the terrier like man marking role . He is a pest to play against with his energy and reading of the game.

 

[Garland-sweden]

3 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

Bakinson will own Banana. 

Hope so.

[tin]

39 minutes ago, mozo said:

Wednesday's midfield have greater midfield intelligence, but Weimann and Pato have much more mobility than Bannan and Luongo. So, I think our boys need to use their energy and legs to disrupt the slower Wednesday engine room.

Yes, our three are more mobile than their three but, as you say, they have the “greater midfield intelligence” to use the ball and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they exploit that - and the holes Pato usually leaves - to give them the edge. As I previously said, I expect it to be won/lost in there and it will be a tight game. 

[bcfc01]

35 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Yes, good teams will expose weaknesses.  I don’t see there being much between us, Stoke or Wednesday....so it’s those mini-matches that will ultimately decide the match.  Last week we won most of them.  It was a strong team performance because the individuals won their mini-matches.

 

And if one player goes into hiding during the game it could be enough to lose the game, with particular emphasis on Paterson in this regard who went missing for long periods against Coventry and Stoke.

Sheffield have a cause to fight for and have probably created a siege mentality, they will be well up for the game with a 12 point penalty to be eliminated asap so I'd expect them to get stuck in and to dictate for periods of the game.

But, as you say, there's nothing between the teams really and I expect a draw.