The statistics behind Sheffield Wednesday's bad habit - and why they need to break it

Admittedly, the 2019/20 campaign proved to be something of an exception, with Garry Monk's side winning three out of their opening five matches.

Looking back at the data from the last five seasons, however, the Owls have proved to be exceptionally slow starters, picking up just 32 points from a possible 75; that's not the kind of foundation you'd ideally want to use as a springboard for a push towards the play-offs.

This is, of course, a particularly pertinent time to raise the concern, with Wednesday’s players currently undergoing individual, pre-season-style training amid the coronavirus-enforced football lockdown.

When, or as the case may sadly well be, if the Championship are given the go-ahead to begin their team preparations to resume play - an outcome now expected to occur in the summer, rather than initial, rather optimistic April 30th deadline - teams will in effect be starting from scratch, having lost all momentum built up throughout the bulk of the campaign.

Of course, given the torrid time the Owls were having before all professional football was suspended, a break in play isn't the worst thing that could have happened to them. It is, however, worth noting Wednesday's history of sluggish beginnings ahead of a potential season restart, especially given the converse fortunes of some of their upcoming opponents.

Out of the Owls' next five opponents waiting on the horizon, only Preston North End have a worse record, with Nottingham Forest, Bristol City, Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion all boasting a superior starts over the past half-decade, claiming significantly more points.

It's a similar story when it comes to goals scored, too. Exploring the same set of data, covering each side's opening five games from the past five seasons, Wednesday scored just over a goal a game (27) in their 25 matches.

While certainly more impressive than Preston's rather dismal tally of 20, it's still in stark contrast to the likes of Forest, whose have bagged 38 in the same amount of games.

There's also the factor of head-to-head records to take into consideration. Wednesday have a terrific record against the Reds, emerging victorious in nine of their last ten meetings, and a similarly impressive track record in match-ups with the Lilywhites.

That said, their recent run-ins with Swansea and West Brom have been, most often, unsuccessful and frustrating affairs - this reinforces the importance of hitting the ground running, and using that impetus to power through traditionally tricky fixtures.

Of course, while the unprecedented situation the world currently finds itself in could well mean that statistics go out of the window, they do highlight a desperate need for the Owls to break their habit of early meandering - especially with the threat of a potential FFP points deduction still looming large in the background.

This point was hammered home by Wednesday's manager earlier in the week, who told the club's official website: "We are continuing the analysis side of things in preparation for the return to normal.

"We are in constant touch with the players by telephone and conference calls as it’s equally important to talk. Obviously it is impossible for us to train as we normally do and the physical conditioning that brings.

"But we are covering every possible angle we can to make sure the foundations for the players are as strong as possible for when we can return."

When the starting pistol is, we must hope and pray, fired again, the Owls will be presented with an opportunity to not only to finish the season on a high, but also to make a statement of intent regarding their ability to fight for a play-off spot next season.