Sheffield Wednesday: Owls players must take responsibility for patchy performances, says Carlos Carvalhal

Head coach Carlos Carvalhal is demanding Wednesday's players take more responsibility on the pitch when things go against them in matches.
Carlos CarvalhalCarlos Carvalhal
Carlos Carvalhal

Carvalhal felt the Owls struggled to combat Hull City’s game plan in the first half of Saturday’s draw at Hillsborough. The team were booed off at half-time and their lacklustre performance prompted Carvalhal to make a double substitution and change formation at the interval.

“The players must be more adaptable to change things,” admitted Carvalhal, who says Tom Lees has successfully undergone groin surgery.

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“When we plan something and the opponent do something different, we must change a little. The players have autonomy to do this.

“Because the team didn’t do this at the break (against Hull), we did it ourselves like coaches to try and move things with a different formation and a lot of risks. I put more players in attack. When teams frustrate things in a strategic way, we can’t go in the same way that we plan. We must do different things and try to move the ball more fast and try to put the ball in different spaces like we did in the second half.

“We did a fantastic second half against Hull. We showed a big commitment, quality, scored goals. We played with a lot of quality and took risks.”

He is urging the team to replicate their second half showing at Norwich City tomorrow night in front of the TV cameras, kick-off 5:30pm.

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Carvalhal said: “I’ve had an opportunity to talk with my players. I will tell you what I said exactly: This is Yorkshire. This is Sheffield. Sheffield is a city of workers, this is a city that the people work very hard to win the life, and the people want to recognise these values on the pitch.

“What we did in the second half [against Hull] is exactly what we want from Sheffield Wednesday since the beginning. It’s the heart, it’s the commitment, it’s the quality, it’s not being afraid of anybody. And I gave congratulations to my players about the second half, because this is the way, this is exactly what we want, this is the brand of our team.

“We took risks. I know exactly what the Sheffield Wednesday fans want. They want to win of course, but they want to see a team run and fight and with a big commitment inside the pitch.”