Sheffield Wednesday have discovered a new undroppable after latest 'strong performance'
Centre-back Liam Cooper produced another solid performance in Sheffield Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with Wigan Athletic.
Sheffield Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with Wigan Athletic at Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon marked an important landmark for centre-back Liam Cooper.
For the first time since the Owls’ 4-0 defeat to Swansea City at the Swansea.com Stadium in February, the former Leeds United defender completed the full 90 minutes, playing an important role in helping Henrik Pedersen’s side secure their first League One clean sheet of the season.
After winning his fitness battle during the week to overcome a complaint that forced him off at half-time against Peterborough United the previous weekend, Cooper came through the clash with Wigan unscathed, marking the first time he had completed a match in seven months.
“He was strong,” Owls boss Pedersen told The Star, reflecting on Cooper’s display. “He was defensively very strong.
“We also saw today that he had some good steps and some good passes forward, so I think it’s a strong performance from him.”
Earning a fifth successive league start against the Latics, Cooper was a contender for the Man of the Match award. Leading by example once again at the back, the 35-year-old completed five clearances, produced three interceptions, blocked two shots, made six recoveries and won the one tackle he made.
Following the summer signings of Sil Swinkels and Ricardo Santos, Wednesday went into this season looking very well-stocked at centre-back. Once everyone is fit and available, Pedersen has six first-team centre-backs to pick from. It is arguably the strongest area within the squad.
However, injury issues have denied Pedersen the opportunity to find some consistency in the heart of his defence so far this season, with niggling issues regularly forcing him to chop and change. So far, Gabriel Otegbayo and Cooper are the only two centre-backs to have featured in each of the Owls’ opening six league matches, with the latter making the most starts (five).
Although it has been argued that Wednesday need to plan for the future by bringing the average age of their squad down, Cooper’s last few performances have demonstrated the importance of having some experience to lean on.
The former Leeds man has not put a foot wrong so far this season, producing dominant performances in each of his last four matches. He was particularly brilliant during Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers earlier this month, making a total of 20 defensive contributions.
“His mentality is amazing, he’s such a strong character,” Pedersen recently said of Cooper. “He puts anything in with his big, big heart.
“He has a strong mentality and a strong, strong personality. He’s a warrior and he will always stand up again. I’m happy that he feels good.”
Although Wednesday struggled to create chances against Wigan at the weekend, particularly in the second half, they could take encouragement from the fact that they earned their first clean sheet in the league this season, and Cooper, as his metrics highlighted, certainly played his part.
Wednesday have had to manage him carefully in the first few weeks of the season, steadily increasing his minutes, but it is an approach that appears to be paying off.
With Di’Shon Bernard on the comeback trail, Ernie Weaver getting back into his stride after almost a year out, Swinkels in the process of recovering from a recent hamstring injury, Santos continuing to get up to speed and Otegbayo always available, Pedersen will soon hope to be spoilt for choice at centre-back.
League One, just like the Championship, is an intensive slog, meaning Pedersen will have to rotate as the season unfolds to keep his players fresh. However, on current evidence, he may find it difficult to take Cooper out of the team, although there is no doubt he must be managed sensibly.
For all the talk of the exciting attacking options Pedersen has available to him, it is Cooper who has suddenly established himself as one of the very first names on the teamsheet.