Henrik Pedersen might have already found the answer to an impending Sheffield Wednesday dilemma
Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen might soon be able to deploy what many would consider as his first-choice centre-back partnership.
For only the third time in Sheffield Wednesday’s opening ten matches across all competitions this season, centre-back Liam Cooper’s name was missing from the teamsheet against Salford City on Tuesday evening.
Fortunately, that was because Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen received an injury boost that he and everyone connected with the Owls had been waiting 19 months for.
The trip to the AIG Stadium for Wednesday’s first Jersey Mike’s Trophy outing of the season marked the return of long-term absentee Di’Shon Bernard, who had not featured for the Owls since suffering a serious knee injury against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns in February last year.
Following a series of setbacks and more than one round of surgery, the Jamaican international returned against the Ammies and completed 61 minutes, partnering youngster Ernie Weaver in the heart of Wednesday’s defence.
Bernard came through the trip to his former club unscathed, meaning he will be hoping to add more minutes to his collection when the Owls host Sunderland’s Under-21s in their second Jersey Mike’s Trophy outing in just under a fortnight’s time.
The clash with the Black Cats youngsters will take place at Hillsborough four days before the Owls resume their League One campaign with a trip to Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town. The clash with the Terriers promises to be a significant test for both Pedersen and his players after some underwhelming performances recently.
Despite the negativity generated by the goalless draws with Wigan Athletic and Stockport County respectively, nobody could find anything wrong with the performances of experienced defender Cooper, who more than played his part in Wednesday recording their first League One clean sheets of the season in the aforementioned Hillsborough outings.
After gradually building up his minutes in the Owls’ first few outings of the season, he completed 90 minutes in successive matches for the first time since February against the Latics and the Hatters, marking a promising juncture in his quest to nail down his spot in Pedersen’s first-choice starting XI.
Although Wednesday have had to deal with a number of injury and fitness-related issues at the start of this season, the centre-back department, when everyone is fit and available, is arguably the strongest area of the squad. Ricardo Santos, Gabriel Otegbayo and Cooper, by and large, have shared the centre-back load so far this term, but the likes of Sil Swinkels and Bernard are on the comeback trail, while Weaver will be hoping to increase his number of opportunities after completing the full 90 minutes against Salford.
Cooper, who has featured in each of the Owls’ first seven league matches this season, earning six starts, has established himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet with his performances, while Bernard, once he is fully back up to speed, is likely to occupy the other centre-back spot.
However, although the former Manchester United man looked assured and comfortable on his return on Tuesday night, it is important not to expect too much too soon. Eventually, though, he will almost certainly become a staple in Pedersen’s first-choice starting XI.
Ahead of that juncture arriving, it has been debated for several months who Bernard’s first-choice partner could be, and the current evidence suggests Cooper is the most worthy of earning that role. He has not put a foot wrong so far this season, leading by example and dealing with just about everything that has either landed at his feet or on his head.
According to data specialists Opta, Cooper has, in seven league appearances this term, made nine blocks, ten interceptions, won possession on 18 occasions and made 48 clearances.
Wednesday have faced a collective non-penalty xG (expected goals) of 9.18 so far this season, meaning they have not been bombarded defensively. That highlights why Cooper’s defensive metrics are not as high as those of some of his fellow League One centre-backs.
Nevertheless, when he has been called upon, he has demonstrated the value of having an experienced head in the heart of the defence. He is a vastly experienced operator who has 66 Premier League appearances to his name.
With Bernard now in the process of building up his fitness and developing his match sharpness, with the ambition of establishing himself as a regular starter in Wednesday colours once again, Cooper might have already done enough to stake his claim to be his first-choice partner.