In a week that saw the Sheffield Wednesday conversation move towards what is or is not possible for their current squad, it could be easy to forget that an exciting week on the road could move them back into the dreamland of achieving ‘something special’.

It is that phrase that Danny Röhl has used time and again this season when asked about their long-held flirtation with the Championship play-off places, the Owls boss almost seemingly uneasy with the discussion their chances of reaching the top six without using a the ‘something special’ euphemism. Using the forthcoming international break as a totem for staying in touch of a 70-point total he believes would be enough to achieve it, there was a sense he thought it possible, too.

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With 11 matches remaining it still may be, though the chances have been thinned by a 2025 run of results that has largely belied the promise of their performances. Over the weekend Röhl spoke candidly on concerns his squad had reached their limit in terms of potential output and sought to bring perspective in terms of where Wednesday were coming from compared to their rivals for a top half finish, both in terms of recent achievements and financial clout.

When it comes to closing the gap on those truly embedded in the race to extend their season, these of course are no small hurdles to immediately overcome.

Back-to-back wins on the road at Plymouth and Norwich this week would certainly throw the possibility of ‘something special’ back into the conversation, an extended break away avoiding the back-and-forth challenges of away day travel serving as a possible kickstart to their play-off effort. Then comes the derby, where anything is possible.

But speaking after the record-and-replay nature of defeat to Sunderland on Friday evening, there was something different in the way Röhl addressed familiar topics, albeit an address no doubt wrapped in the near-immediate emotion of another painful defeat.

“I am sad for the team and of course I see the results,” Röhl said. “We look to them and think to ourselves 'We are struggling' from the points we get at the moment. It looks not so good. But I must say in this period we must look to which teams we are playing, how we are playing. And I wish, everybody in this room, everybody in the stadium wished we had more points. But it is not just a wish, we need in these small games to have the right small moments.

“We will carry on with this group. I am very proud of my players. They never give up, they go again and again, they push. But the small momentum we have to pull on our side. If this comes, I am convinced we can get some wins in a row, it is possible with how we play, but for this we need that momentum back.

“You also cannot forget we were without Dom because it was not possible to sub him on so early, it was only 15 minutes possible. No Akin, no Dish, Yan out, Max out. I think you will agree that this you cannot prepare for in the window or at the front of the season. If you have four or five defenders out in one game, every game will struggle with this. This is a part.”

A part indeed it is. Congratulations on the club’s efforts in avoiding their annual injury pile-up last year have proven to have been premature and though he refused to go into detail on the causes of the injury issues that have contributed to ridding them of a stable of centre-halves and other key figures, it’s a source of strife he believes to have identified. Again, not a small one.

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Such is the nature of football, much emphasis has been placed on chances missed in recent weeks and the failure to convert the percentage of opportunities that their play between the boxes might otherwise warrant. But it is defensively that Wednesday also have big problems, the Wednesday boss admitted.

A look back at the goals the Owls have conceded in tight games over recent weeks provide a flurry of individual errors and costly defending by a backline patched-up in the face of that injury situation. But the fact is that Wednesday were conceding goals far too easily even before the full weight of their unavailability crisis was realised.

Set pieces remain a concern and the defending of crosses in open play was once again spotlighted against Sunderland, the Black Cats’ winning goal coming via another little-pressured cross from out wide and a lack of cohesion in the box. A critical eye could point out four or five players who could fairly face accusations of not having done all they could to stop it.

Danny Röhl on Sheffield Wednesday conceded goals from crosses into the box

“This is two things; the first is to stop the crosses and the other thing is the organisation in the box,” Röhl said when slapped with the question of repeat defensive vulnerability from out wide. “You can ask the players; we work again and again and again. But we come to the point it is all about individual mistakes now. We have nearly every week a player who is not in the right position and is not doing the job that they have to do. I think we have a clear structure on how we want to defend.”

Asked whether there is added frustration that the time-and-again issues that have served to cost Wednesday points in recent weeks appear to be small repeat issues, Röhl disagreed with the premise of the question.

“These are not small problems,” he said. “They look small, but these are the key problems we have between being outstanding or in the position we are in at the moment. It is not a small issue, these are key factors to make the next step.”

As has been the theme of chat throughout the season, Sheffield Wednesday’s current placing is a mighty achievement in itself considering from where the campaign was sprouted. The fact that only three Championship teams have scored more goals from open play is but one statistic that shows their rapid growth.

But by Röhl’s admission, the problems holding them back from an underdog seat at the Championship’s top table are not small ones, both on and off the field.