There appeared to be signs of life at Sheffield Wednesday after they recorded back-to-back Championship wins against Preston North End and Hull City.
But fast forward a matter of weeks, and it’s three league reverses in four, one goal scored, and too many conceded. A dramatic change in form is needed if the Owls are to beat the drop.
Having a quick review of the football match betting odds tells you everything you need to know about the position Sheffield Wednesday currently find themselves in, in terms of where they are in the league, their form and their deficiencies in both boxes. They were tipped for relegation at the start of the season after being promoted via the playoffs from League One last term, and right now, that prediction looks like it will be an accurate one, with the Owls marooned in the bottom three and eight points adrift of safety at the time of writing.
Danny Rohl, a young German coach, arrived after a disastrous start to the new campaign under then-new manager Xisco Munoz, and there have been promising results and better performances. Rohl has guided the Owls to victory on seven occasions from twenty-two, putting back-to-back wins together twice. But this latest run of bad form is the worst under his leadership, and it has seen Wednesday concede four goals away from home in each of their last three outings in all competitions.
While some teams struggle to keep the ball out of the back of the net but find themselves capable of scoring at the right end, the Owls have been deficient in both areas, and this is seemingly the cause for their latest bad run of form. The stats suggest Wednesday create the chances, with xG data often showing they’re underperforming in this area. This ultimately means they’re not taking the opportunities that come their way and lack that clinical edge that can make all the difference.
Unless the Owls can somehow become more resolute at the back or find a way to convert the chances they create, it’s going to be a very difficult ask for them to find a way out of the relegation zone, which they have been stuck in all season. It could be one or the other in terms of being better defensively or more efficient in attack, or maybe it should be a bit of both.
Rohl, a head coach who wants his team to press, play forward, and excite, may also have to adjust his tactics for now, even if it goes against his philosophy. The Owls are desperate for points, but as seen in the last several games, when they go behind and begin chasing a game, it opens them up to concede multiple goals, four at a time of late, which has dramatically affected their goal difference. While it’s never over ‘til it’s over, it will take something special to reverse Sheffield Wednesday’s fortunes at this point.
