Coventry City blueprint can help Sheffield Wednesday to end 15-year Burnley wait: View | OneFootball

Coventry City blueprint can help Sheffield Wednesday to end 15-year Burnley wait: View | OneFootball

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·17 October 2024

Coventry City blueprint can help Sheffield Wednesday to end 15-year Burnley wait: View

Article image:Coventry City blueprint can help Sheffield Wednesday to end 15-year Burnley wait: View

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl should take inspiration from the win at Coventry City ahead of Saturday's game against Burnley.

Sheffield Wednesday are back in Championship action after the international break as they host Burnley at Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon.


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Wednesday got their season off to the perfect start with an emphatic 4-0 win over Plymouth Argyle on the opening weekend, but their form declined after that, and they went on a run of five league games without a win.

However, the Owls have improved significantly in recent weeks and they are now unbeaten in three games after their impressive 2-1 win over Coventry City at the CBS Arena last time out.

Jack Rudoni gave the Sky Blues the lead in the 26th minute but Wednesday responded well and Djeidi Gassama equalised just before the break before Shea Charles sealed all three points when he netted the winner in second-half stoppage time.

The Owls are now 15th in the Championship table, four points clear of the relegation zone, and they will be looking to continue their rise up the league when they take on third-placed Burnley this weekend.

Sheffield Wednesday will have to overcome poor Burnley record on Saturday

Article image:Coventry City blueprint can help Sheffield Wednesday to end 15-year Burnley wait: View

It will not be an easy afternoon for Wednesday against a Burnley side that are unbeaten in their last six league games but there are reasons for the Owls to be optimistic.

The Clarets have failed to score from open play in their last three games, with Josh Brownhill's penalty against Plymouth the only time they have found the back of the net in those matches, and that has been a source of frustration for supporters in recent weeks given the attacking talent head coach Scott Parker has at his disposal.

Wednesday have also only lost once at home so far this season and that was against promotion favourites Leeds United back in August so they will be confident that they can cause problems for Burnley.

However, history is not on the Owls' side ahead of Saturday's game and they have not beaten the Clarets in the league since February 2009 when they secured a 4-2 win at Turf Moor.

Wednesday did register a 1-0 victory at Burnley in the EFL Cup in August 2014, but they are now without a league win against the Lancashire outfit in over 15 years, and they will be looking to change that this weekend.

Danny Rohl must stick with successful Coventry City formula against Burnley

Article image:Coventry City blueprint can help Sheffield Wednesday to end 15-year Burnley wait: View

In order to give Wednesday the best possible chance of picking up a result against Burnley on Saturday, Rohl should consider sticking with the approach that brought his side success against Coventry City last time out.

In contrast to Rohl's usual attacking line-up, he fielded a much more conservative team against the Sky Blues, with Yan Valery, Di'Shon Bernard and Akin Famewo making up a back three and Shea Charles, Barry Bannan and Svante Ingelsson forming a midfield trio.

The Owls were left vulnerable in both defence and midfield in early season games against Sunderland, Leeds, and Millwall, but they had no such problems at the CBS Arena, and Rohl should use it as a blueprint for future games against the division's top sides.

As Wednesday are at home, Rohl may be tempted to bring the likes of Anthony Musaba, Ike Ugbo, or Michael Smith back into the team against Burnley but while like-for-like changes in the forward line are a strong possibility, he should not drop any of Charles, Bannan or Ingelsson.

Removing an extra body from midfield would risk allowing Josh Cullen, Josh Brownhill, and Hannibal Mejbri to dictate the game for the Clarets in the middle of the park, while it could also provide extra space for players such as Luca Koleosho and Jaidon Anthony to exploit.

Taking a more pragmatic approach and keeping the game tight would then enable Rohl to introduce more of his attacking threats from the bench later in the game, but the most important thing for the Owls is to avoid falling behind, which was a recurring theme against the promotion contenders last season, resulting in some heavy defeats.

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