Danny Röhl spotted something Sheffield Wednesday must improve from last season

The match is the latest fixture to be played against top-tier opposition in a programme designed to stretch and challenge the Owls squad. It is a squad that is being asked to provide fresh movements, to be daring in their pressing and to play out through the lines from defence, work the Wednesday coaching staff have been busily instilling into their players since pre-season began.

Speaking to The Star, manager Danny Röhl reflected on the work done so far. It’s clear he wants to see more dynamism going forward, something witnessed as a major focus in training in the last weeks. Transition movements from defence into attack are high on the agenda. Fast movements in attack, he said, must be driven up from last season’s data.

“We worked a lot on the relationship with the players,” Röhl said. “We have to understand on which side we receive the ball and in which area we have to ask for the ball again. We have diagonal passing options which is a big, big topic, we need movement. Last season our running distance in ball possession was too small and this is exactly what we have been working on, we have to be active, to understand which is the pressing line of the opponent and in which position we have to be, to receive the ball, to speed up our game.

“This at the moment is a crucial part, we have trained this in different ways, sometimes with opponents, sometimes passing drills, sometimes small games. This is the way we train, sometimes you train with the ball sometimes immediately against the ball.”

The Werder Bremen clash will be uniquely structured, with four 30-minute quarters laid out as both managers seek to offer their players extended playing time. Most Wednesday players are expected to be given an hour on the pitch as they steadily build towards the Championship season opener against Plymouth Argyle on August 11. The work is ongoing and the Owls boss is pleased with the progress made.

“At the moment I am very happy,” Röhl said. “I see a process, I see that we have stepped up. Even in the post-match meeting from Salzburg we saw a lot of good things and also a lot of potential things. This is good, we have three weeks to go to be ready for the new season. It is OK, but not what we want to have (by the time the season arrives), it is more important that we are ready for the first matchday and that we have our base for the whole season. I think going into the season with the knowledge we have developed day by day now will be very helpful.”