Laura Jones fan column: Why Vincent Sasso continues to divide opinion amongst Sheffield Wednesday fans

To get you in the mood here are a few Sasso stats. Wednesday haven’t lost a game he’s played in this season and in the 338 minutes he’s played we have only conceded one goal, which was on Tuesday night against Blackburn Rovers.

As he scored the two other goals in that game I think that can be overlooked.

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When I asked Wednesdayites what their thoughts were about Sasso, most dribbled over his aesthetic qualities (and that was just then men) but there was a distinct divide in opinion about whether the defender is more than a squad player or even a decent footballer.

Sasso has room for improvement. His distribution at times looks decidedly dodgy and statistically he’s not winning any awards for defensive headers. There are also questions about his ability to read the game due to his positioning. So why are we still defensively strong with him in the team? The French defender does pick up loose balls, he tackles well and isn’t afraid of a surge through central midfield.

He did a few runs through the middle on Tuesday evening reminiscent of Paul Warhurst. You do however get the feeling the Sam Hutchinson protects him very well but in turn Hutch can get pulled out of position to cover for him.

Sasso, despite his glowing statistics, is likely to lose his place in the team this weekend if Lees is fit. The Owls don’t want to rush Lees back and with Sasso playing so well/adequately depending on which side of the fence you’re on, we can afford to ease Tom back in.

Sasso is a bit of an enigma. Like Atdhe Nuhiu, you’re never quite sure whether he’s any good. He divides opinion but the stats seem to suggest the team gain from his presence.

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