3 things we clearly learnt about Sheffield Wednesday after their 2-0 win v Morecambe | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday avoided an upset at Hillsborough last night as they came out 2-0 winners against relegation battlers Morecambe, giving themselves another major boost in their quest to secure a play-off place.

Following their impressive victory against Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon, the Owls would have been desperate to build on that momentum with a top-six spot in touching distance but in danger of slipping away, had they dropped points against the Shrimps.

They suffered bad news before the match, with manager Darren Moore testing positive for Covid-19 and with that, not being able to take charge of what was a reasonably important tie as they looked to close the gap between themselves and the promotion mix.

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However, they still managed to thrive, even though it took until the second half to make the breakthrough. It was a goal worth waiting for though, with George Byers firing an unstoppable shot past Trevor Carson.

And they finally made the game safe in stoppage time through Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, though the hosts also had their defence to thank for keeping the prolific Cole Stockton quiet.

Delving into this match in more depth though, we take a look at three things we learnt about the South Yorkshire outfit as they secured another three points.

Soccer Football – Championship – Barnsley v Middlesbrough – Oakwell, Barnsley, Britain – April 10, 2021 Middlesbrough’s Marvin Johnson in action with Barnsley’s Toby Sibbick Action Images/Lee Smith EDITORIAL USE ONLY

You can’t really blame Moore for playing Johnson at centre-back at various points this season because the injuries troubles in central defence have been horrific – but the latter showed his ability going forward once again tonight.

Scoring against Ipswich at the weekend with a superb finish as he ghosted in around the back post to direct the ball home, he continued to be an attacking threat tonight, scoring once again from a similar position in the first half but unfortunately having that goal disallowed.

However, his most crucial contribution came for Byers’ goal, dribbling around multiple Morecambe players expertly before laying it off for Barry Bannan, who then put the ball on a plate for the Swansea man to smash home.

You can tell from that move Johnson is most comfortable when hugging the touchline – and because of this – Wednesday should be doing everything they possibly can to make sure he remains out wide, either as a winger, full-back or wing-back.

As he showed last night, he can be a real game-changer in the third tier.

The injury situation needs to be looked at

Soccer Football – Championship – Sheffield Wednesday v Blackburn Rovers – Hillsborough, Sheffield, Britain – April 20, 2021 Sheffield Wednesday’s Josh Windass celebrates after scoring their first goal Action Images/Molly Darlington EDITORIAL USE ONLY

The injury curse continues for the Owls, with three players all being forced off with different problems.

New signing Harlee Dean was the first victim and as soon as he went down, it looked as though he needed to come off which was a big blow for a side that have suffered majorly with unavailable players at centre-back this term.

Thankfully for them, Jordan Storey and Sam Hutchinson seemed to come away unscathed, with Liam Palmer able to play in a more central role too. Nonetheless, this much be a real source of frustration for a side that finally looked set to have an orthodox back three, with all three possessing great pedigree.

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru followed at half-time – and things went from bad to worse when Josh Windass needed to withdraw in the second half – a real shame for both him and the hosts’ supporters considering he also spent much of the early stages of this campaign on the sidelines.

In isolation, this looks like an unlucky night for the South Yorkshire club in terms of players coming off – but injuries have been hindering the club for months, if not years.

That could potentially cost them a place in the top six at the end of the season if this theme continues, so everyone needs to play their part in ensuring future setbacks are minimised.

A system change needs to be considered

Soccer Football – Championship – Derby County v Sheffield Wednesday – Pride Park, Derby, Britain – May 8, 2021 Derby County manager Wayne Rooney and Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore after the match Action Images via Reuters/Molly Darlington EDITORIAL USE ONLY

This talking point is a by-product of the injuries – and the Owls should be seriously considering a formation switch going into their tie against Burton Albion at the weekend.

With Dean coming off, it would surely make sense to have Storey and Hutchinson as the two centre-backs in a flat back four, with Palmer on the right and Johnson taking up his spot on the left.

The midfield is a bit trickier because of Dele-Bashiru’s injury – but Bannan and Byers could definitely do a job in the middle of the park, perhaps with Sylla Sow coming in as a wing option on one side with Mendez-Laing on the other.

A 4-2-3-1 formation could be an option if Sadio Berahino moves into an advanced midfield role, or a 4-4-2 with plenty of options up top. Florian Kamberi didn’t perform particularly well yesterday evening, so Berahino and Callum Paterson could be the strike duo to go with.

It’s risky to make this change considering they won – but it’s probably one worth taking is some of their injured players from their latest clash are out for a little while.