Sheffield Wednesday could unleash a new-look attack for the first time vs Huddersfield Town
Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping to flex their muscles inside the final third when they take on Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
Although the League One campaign is only seven games old for Sheffield Wednesday, Saturday’s trip to Huddersfield Town already has an important feel to it.
Not only is it a Yorkshire derby between two sides that have served up some memorable contests in recent years, but it is also an encounter that will see two members of the top four go head-to-head.
Both sides will go into the contest on the back of midweek victories in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy, having beaten Sunderland’s Under-21s and Rochdale, respectively. They have also both suffered just one league defeat apiece so far this season.
Huddersfield, who are currently third, sit one place and one point ahead of the Owls and are unbeaten at home so far this term. Wednesday, meanwhile, will travel to West Yorkshire boasting a 100 per cent away record.
Considering the Owls brought in 18 new signings during what could only be described as a transformative summer, they have made a very strong start to the season from a results perspective, winning seven of their first 11 matches across all competitions and losing two. However, as manager Henrik Pedersen has admitted himself, Wednesday still need to improve their performances.
Wednesday will make the short trip to the Accu Stadium having failed to score in each of their last two League One matches, playing out back-to-back goalless draws against Wigan Athletic and Stockport County at Hillsborough. The Owls struggled to find any sort of rhythm in the attacking third in either game, meaning they will be under some pressure to show more against the Terriers.
Having drafted in so many players during the summer and had to deal with a fair share of injuries so far this term, boss Pedersen has struggled to find consistency in his team selections, frequently tinkering with his line-up. For example, across Wednesday’s first 11 matches this season, the Owls boss has fielded ten different attacking combinations involving the two wingers, the No.10 and the striker.
The only time Pedersen has named an identical front four was in the back-to-back wins over Bromley (7-2) and Wycombe Wanderers (2-1). However, the loss of Louie Barry to an ankle injury against Wycombe derailed the Dane’s hopes of establishing consistency and building momentum.
Since Barry’s injury, Pedersen has started Kieran Morrison, Callum Slattery, Jamal Lowe and, most recently, Joel Akpobi on the left flank. However, Harry Gray could be the answer to the conundrum created by Barry’s absence.
The Leeds United loanee, who made four appearances for England’s Under-19s during the international break, started three of Wednesday’s first four league and cup matches of the season on the left wing before suffering a head injury in August’s Carabao Cup defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers. He has made two substitute appearances since then, making a positive impact against Wigan and Stockport, respectively.
On the opposite flank, Liverpool loanee Morrison is the most natural and obvious choice. He made two appearances for Northern Ireland during the international break and marked his competitive debut for his country with an assist in last Friday’s 3-0 win over Ukraine.
The 19-year-old is a tricky customer, capable of taking players on one-v-one and delivering dangerous crosses into the box. He also possesses the pace to help Wednesday get up the pitch.
Slattery, who was signed on a free transfer after leaving Motherwell during the summer, has demonstrated that he is most effective in central areas, making the No.10 position his own. He played out wide against Wigan, and it is fair to say that the experiment did not quite go according to plan. It means Morrison and Gray are the most suitable candidates to start on the flanks.
Morrison, Slattery and Gray have yet to start together in Wednesday colours, meaning it would be interesting to see how the trio perform alongside each other. On paper, it looks like an exciting prospect.
Ahead of the aforementioned trio, Pedersen is still searching for the most suitable candidate to spearhead Wednesday’s attack. Mason Burstow, who arrived on loan from Hull City in August, has started eight of the Owls’ first 11 games this term but has found the net just once. He has failed to score in his last five starts, meaning Pedersen might consider a different approach.
The 18th and final addition of the summer at Hillsborough was Davis Keillor-Dunn, who arrived on loan from Wrexham until January. He has made three starts since arriving in South Yorkshire, featuring up front, in the No.10 position and on the right flank.
He struggled to influence proceedings from the right against Stockport before scoring against Salford City after starting in the No.10 position. He found himself in the right place at the right time to head home an Akpobi cross and claim his first goal for the Owls.
Having demonstrated his predatory instincts in that moment, Keillor-Dunn showed that he knows where to position himself inside the penalty area. With 31 goals in his last 69 League One appearances, the 28-year-old knows how to find the net, meaning he could excel at the spearhead of Wednesday’s attack if players such as Morrison, Slattery and Gray provide him with the ammunition.
A front four of Morrison, Slattery, Gray and Keillor-Dunn certainly looks like an exciting prospect on paper.