Sheffield Wednesday’s Mallik Wilks decision explained – clarity on right-wing carousel

Wilks played high on the right side in the Owls’ dominant 5-0 win over Cambridge United and slipped in his fourth assist in a League One season that has seen him play only 386 minutes so far – previously as a central forward and on the right of a four-man attack.

It was a decision made by Darren Moore after watching Cambridge’s 1-0 defeat to Derby County designed to add attacking impetus to their play. No player took more shots (five) and he used to be wisely, boasting a passing accuracy of 85%.

“I wanted to play Mallik high up the pitch and to get after them,” Moore said. “We needed to get the ball to him and get after them with his back to goal or moving at them with his balance and mobility on the ball. It gave us more options.

“I replaced Alex Mighten with Mallik after he had played two games. I thought to freshen-up and bring him and Josh in and it's always pleasing when you make a decision to see it work.”

Wilks is the latest of several players to play wide right for Wednesday – a reality that is at-odds with the consistency of the left, where Marvin Johnson has been a near ever-present.

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Alex Mighten, Dominic Iorfa, Liam Palmer, Jack Hunt and Callum Paterson have all played there at times in this campaign, all to decent degrees of success at one time or another.

Asked whether he is undergoing a process to find his best combination in that position, Moore intimated it was more a case of selecting the best player for the task depending on the opposition.

“It's horses for courses,” he said. “It's great to see how many players we've got who can play on that right-hand side; Hunty, Iorfa, Palmer, Mighten, Wilks.

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“They can all do it and it always gives the opposition a different character to deal with. I went to the game against Derby and as soon as I left that game I knew what team I would pick.”