The Sheffield Wednesday Project – What Xisco Munoz’s top five priorities should be after S6 move

Munoz is no stranger to England’s second tier, getting Watford promoted out of it by finishing second in the 2020/21 campaign following an indifferent start to the season under their previous manager.

On Tuesday it was announced that the 42-year-old Spaniard had been chosen as the man to take the Owls forward in 2023/24, and with less than a month to go before the season opener against Southampton he’s got his work cut out for what could potentially be a very tough season ahead.

Here’s a look at five things the former Huesca and Anorthosis Famagusta man needs to prioritise as he gets to work in S6…

Putting together a technical team

As things stand, with no announcement made with regards to who will be joining him at Wednesday, Munoz will be relying on those still left over following the exodus that came alongside Darren Moore’s departure.

The club lost their assistant manager, two first team coaches and their goalkeeper coach when Moore left, and the new man in charge will be desperate to put together a team as soon as possible so that they can help him assert himself at Middlewood Road as his tenure begins.

Whether or not he will look to any of his team at Huesca, - which included assistant, Antonio Calle, his fitness coach, Julián Jiménez, and his analyst, Miguel Ángel Muñoz – remains to be seen. At Watford he had Roberto Cuesta (Assistant Coach) and Jorge Abella (Strength & Conditioning Coach).

Getting new players through the door

Wednesday have a solid enough core of players as things stand, but with just 17 players aged 23 or over they have nowhere near the squad depth required over the course of a gruelling Championship campaign.

At present they have just the one senior goalkeeper in Cameron Dawson, and Munoz will want to bring in individuals that will suit the formation and style that he’s looking to play as the club looks to build on last season’s promotion.

They’re far from flush when it comes to options if key players get injured, and there will always be question marks over which players will be able to successfully make the step up when a team climbs to the next level. The average age needs to be addressed, with an influx of youthful exuberance surely near the top of his list of requirements.

Set to work on implementing his preferred style

With less than a week before the first preseason came, just 10 days until their warm weather camp in Spain gets underway, and the club just over four weeks from their opening game of the campaign against Southampton, there’s work to be done if there’s going to be a change of system.

Over the course of his managerial career Munoz has used a back three relatively rarely, so it’s a fair assumption that there will be a change of formation from that was used by Moore during his spell. Stylistically they also vary, and if the Spaniard is wanting to get a tune out of them quickly then he’ll have to start that switch ASAP.

Say the right things to get fans onside

This afternoon is a big one for the new Owls manager. There will often split opinion when a popular former boss is replaced, and while the response for Munoz’s appointment has been largely positive he’d do well to get those on the fence onside in his first press conference.

He’s no stranger to the English media and was widely liked during his time with the Hornets, so he’ll know the right buttons to push as he seeks to get Wednesdayites onside early doors – if he’s able to do that then it’ll earn him that extra bit of patience that may be needed given how late Wednesday are assembling their squad.

Assess which youngsters can/can’t play a part this season

Wednesday have a host of talented youngsters coming through their ranks at the moment, many of whom have been part of the first team setup in some shape or form for a while now, and assessing which of those may be ready to make a more permanent step up will help in terms of the summer’s recruitment.

If, for instance, Rio Shipston, Sean Fusire or Bailey Cadamarteri are deemed ready following a rigorous summer programme then there may be less need to fill a spot via the transfer market. If they’re not, though, plans should probably be made to get them out on loan in order to further their development playing regularly elsewhere.