Xisco Ball taking shape at Sheffield Wednesday - and the players are loving it

The players are the same, pretty much, but that’s about it. Algorfa is far removed from Sheffield, the new boss has brought in a host of new technical team members, and in temperatures of up to 40 degrees it’s a tad warmer than Middlewood Road.

Having arrived on Saturday, Wednesday’s players have been put their paces in double sessions in Algorfa, one starting at 9.30am and the other at 6.30pm – timings picked explicitly to avoid the heat of the day.

Xisco has spoken about getting players into peak physical condition, spoken about how he needs to assess them all to see what he needs, and discussed a need to get to know them all better. He’s certainly doing that.

Training is intense… Some long and fitness-based, others heavily weighted towards ball work without breaks. On Tuesday morning it was all about set pieces, Roberto Cuesta – a man brought in largely for that reason – taking the lead in a session that the media was specifically asked not to capture for obvious reasons.

Intensity aside, though, a notable factor under Xisco’s watch so far is the genuine enjoyment of the work being done. It’s hard, and he’s asking a lot of them, but they’re enjoying it. Speaking to a handful of players so far, the mood is high and they’re looking forward to a new style of play that’s been described as ‘aggressive’ and ‘front foot’. As an outsider, it appears clear that the Spaniard will want the ball on the deck as much as possible – set pieces aside there has been next to no heading on show.

Barry Bannan, Josh Windass, Reece James, they’ve all spoken highly of their new gaffer, and watching on from the sidelines it’s not hard to see why. Sessions are engaging, communication has been good, and – importantly – they seem to really be having fun with it.

Will Vaulks, a late arrival following the birth of his son, Ziggy, had his first session on Monday and was immediately into the thick of things – after Tuesday morning’s session he and captain, Bannan, stayed behind for a while having a discussion with the new man in charge.

Liam Palmer was seen doing ballwork on the first full day of training, Mallik Wilks looks to be getting closer to a return to action, and the hope is that by the time Southampton come to town on August 4^th they may even have a full squad to pick from for the first time in forever. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Alongside the numerous experienced pros a group of eight youngsters are sweating it out trying to prove their worth. Sean Fusire told The Star that it was time for him to show that he could be a man amongst the seniors, and highly-rated goalkeeper, Pierce Charles, is treated no different to the others despite being the only 17-year-old in the group.

New signings are needed, that’s clear, and it’s been mentioned by many, but Xisco Ball is taking shape, and – though patience may be required – that’s something to be excited about.

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