Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl has revealed his delight to how his players responded to a ‘tough week’ with a resounding 2-0 win over Stoke City.
The Owls have had to contend with a week of speculation surrounding the manager’s future after Premier League outfit Southampton were revealed to be admirers of the German coach. The Saints parted company with Russell Martin last weekend, with Rohl heavily linked as a potential replacement.
That speculation came to an end on Friday when the 35-year-old announced he would be remaining at Hillsborough, much to the delight of everyone involved with the club.
It was business as usual yesterday afternoon when Stoke visited Yorkshire. Despite having Di’Shon Bernard sent off shortly before half time with the scores level, Josh Windass and Callum Paterson struck in the second period to seal the three points.
Rohl Delighted To Secure Win
The victory moves Sheffield Wednesday to within three points of the play-off places. Following the game, Rohl admitted that it’s been a tough week for his players. Speaking to The Star, the former Bayern Munich coach said:
“Big credit to my team. It was a tough week with a lot of things around the team, but we were still focused on what we can do. I think in the first half I had the feeling that we were controlling the game, but in the key moments the opponent was always dangerous with the wind and the balls in behind – then you get the red card, and you know it’s 45 minutes plus. I chose the structure 5-3-1, because I wanted to not be too defensive, and I wanted to be offensive in the midfield with (Djeidi) Gassama on the right and Josh win front. I felt like if we had the ball then we could hurt them in some moments.
“We were very organised, but you need the momentum in the right moments to score… I’m very happy for Yan (Valery), in the last few weeks some people have been a bit critical of him, but you saw the reaction from the team, everyone celebrated his assist and this is good to see. And Pato has worked hard to get minutes, he’s always focused in the training, and again with James Beadle… Big, big performance, but the most credit goes to the team, to everyone who helped get the three points.”
Writer’s View
It’s no secret that Danny Rohl will eventually earn a job in the Premier League. The job he has done at Sheffield Wednesday since taking over has been nothing short of miraculous, taking them from certain relegation from the Championship to the fringes of the play-offs in just over a year. In the meantime, Owls fans will continue to enjoy every minute under the young German.
