'Kill you' Frank Lampard makes point on theme that has damaged 'well coached' Sheffield Wednesday

The England playing legend made no secret of his side’s fortune in a 2-1 win at Hillsborough on Saturday that saw the Owls dominate large periods of the game only to be squeezed out in the final minutes. A controversial afternoon saw penalty appeals turned down, a Coventry goal scrubbed out, defensive lapses and a goalkeeping error as Wednesday failed to make anything of a performance that allowed them to unleash 22 shots on goal.

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Wednesday’s position within reach of the play-off places is one they’ve held for much of the campaign, a sign of monumental progress from a 2023/24 season that saw them stage a dramatic survival mission completed on the very last day. But frustration sits looking back on matches they have largely dominated between the boxes without taking the full three points, particularly at home. Speaking after the weekend’s clash, Lampard sympathised with the issue Wednesday are facing.

“I'm talking about another team here and I don't always like doing that,” he told The Star. “But I understand that problem of when you feel you're in control of games and you feel you're doing well, but the boxes kill you at either end if you don't score when you should and you don't defend moments you should. It's difficult. From an outside point of view I know they're a really good team and they'll be working on them but sometimes it's just the nature of the game. Full credit to them, they gave us a very tough game. Everybody in the stadium knows that.”

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Not for the first time, Lampard spoke warmly on the set-up Röhl has put together at Wednesday and touched on the difficulties opposition managers face when coming up against them - and extended praise to his opposite man and the Owls coaching staff.

He said: “I'm really impressed with them and I understood how tough the game would be because they've got a good squad, they're an athletic team that can hurt you with speed and athleticism. They've also got a plan and they're quite adaptable with their systems and how they can play in the set-ups. They're not easy to prep for because you never know what's coming and that's a real strength of the team. They're obviously a very well coached team.”