Henrik Pedersen could unleash a new Sheffield Wednesday midfield for the first time vs Millwall
Sheffield Wednesday need to try and find a spark to give them something to smile about - and finding a new dynamic in midfield could be key.
Having gone nine league games without a goal, the last thing Sheffield Wednesday will want to do is take their goalless run into double figures when they face Millwall at Hillsborough on Saturday.
Wednesday’s dry spell in front of goal continued at the Swansea.com Stadium against Swansea City last Sunday, conceding four goals without reply, condemning them to an eighth successive Championship defeat.
It has been well-documented throughout the season that Wednesday’s problems are as a direct consequence of the chaos overseen by former chairman Dejphon Chansiri, leaving the Owls within touching distance of officially being relegated, but almost seven weeks without a goal is becoming inexcusable.
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Wednesday, against both Blackburn Rovers and Swansea, were tepid and lifeless, struggling to create any meaningful attacks. Swansea goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux had probably never experienced an easier afternoon in his career.
Manager Henrik Pedersen switched to a back-four in South Wales, handing a debut to new recruit Tayo Adaramola at left-back. He was joined in the backline by Liam Palmer, Gabriel Otegbayo and Liam Cooper.
Although there had been an increase in pleas for Pedersen to switch to a back-four in the hope it would give Wednesday more freedom to try and express themselves at the other end of the pitch, it was quickly proven that it left them too exposed and Swansea, in the second half, cut through them far too easily.
Whether Pedersen will revert to a back-five against Millwall on Saturday remains to be seen. Adaramola, by his own admission, loves to get forward from the wing-back department, meaning Pedersen may account for that and bring Cole McGhee back into the starting XI to offer Wednesday more stability at the back.
However, it is in midfield where change is needed, either via personnel or shape. Svante Ingelsson is set to return this weekend after missing the trip to Swansea due to personal reasons and he is a guaranteed starter.
Following Barry Bannan’s departure to Millwall, a massive void has been left in Wednesday’s midfield. To fill that void, Pedersen experimented with Ingelsson as a No.6 against both Wrexham and Blackburn and the Owls were starved of his running power and energy to help them get up the pitch.
Wednesday need more energy and fluidity in midfield
Additionally, Ingelsson is not the sort of play to dance his way out of tight spaces with the ball; he needs green space to run into to attempt to get Wednesday closer to the opposition’s penalty area.
With that in mind, if his fitness levels allow him to, new recruit Marvelous Nakamba should come in for his first Owls start this weekend and provide Wednesday with a sense of aggression and energy in the engine room. Jaden Heskey, despite, just like the rest of his teammates, not being at the races in the last two games, demonstrated he can make his presence felt from the No.6 berth in the 2-0 defeat to Birmingham City last month.
The Manchester City loanee produced a very accomplished showing against the Blues, demonstrating he is a confident passer of the ball and can keep things ticking nice and smoothly in midfield. With Nakamba a potential partner for him, the Zimbabwean’s presence could free Heskey up to play a little further forward and attempt to offer the Owls a shade more energy in the attacking third.
Heskey started out as a striker and also had a spell playing as a No.10 prior to establishing himself as a deep-lying midfielder, meaning he is no stranger to playing higher up the pitch.
Whether Wednesday start with a 3-4-1-2, a 3-5-2, a 4-4-2 or possibly even a 4-2-3-1, Pedersen must find a way to try and come up with a more energetic, enterprising midfield, and Heskey and Nakamba could provide a degree of thrust that has been missing.
Amid Nakamba’s profile as a defensive-midfielder, that could free Heskey up to play a little further forward when Wednesday have possession of the ball. Regardless of where Ingelsson starts, he will almost certainly drift wide to provide width, meaning Heskey could flood that advanced central area.
Having gone 25 league games without a win and nine league outings without a goal, what is the worst that can happen?