Coventry City boss Mark Robins has had his say on the Sheffield Wednesday squad after yesterday’s Boxing Day clash.
Sheffield Wednesday were hosted by Coventry City in the Championship yesterday.
The Owls eventually left with nothing following a 2-0 defeat, handing Danny Rohl‘s side a second successive defeat following their disappointment at home vs Cardiff City before Christmas.
Yesterday’s performance wasn’t the worst we’ve seen under Rohl, but it was by far the best and with Huddersfield Town winning against Blackburn Rovers, the gap to safety is back up to nine points.
There remains a degree of positivity for this season after a string of wins in December, and with several players impressing of late.
Mark Robins hails four Sheffield Wednesday players
After yesterday’s game, Coventry City boss Robins singled out Anthony Musaba for praise; the Dutchman scored winning goals against Stoke City and QPR, and was also on the scoresheet vs Cardiff.
Robins said of Wednesday:
“They’ve got some quality. Musaba is a really good player and he’s shown that of late, he’s starting to add goals to his game, he’s quick, he’s powerful, he’s strong and he has got an eye for goal. [Bailey] Cadamarteri up front works his socks off, he never stops running.”
Cadamarteri made his first start vs Leicester City last month and has since started every game up front for Sheffield Wednesday, scoring three goals.
Robins continued:
“Those things put you under pressure and they’ve got some very talented players in the team. Barry Bannan is in there pulling the strings as best as he possibly can do and he’s got some great quality. If he’s allowed on the ball, he’s going to pick out passes that are going to hurt you.”
Robins then offered some surprise praise for Watford loan man Ashley Fletcher, who came off the bench on the hour mark against Coventry.
“With all those willing runners and someone like Ashley Fletcher coming on, they’ve got some really good players in their team,” Robins said. “From our perspective, this is a brilliant three points.”
Good players, but Danny Rohl needs more
The transformation under Rohl tells us that this current set of players are capable of beating the drop this season.
But given the amount of games and the different kinds of opponents and what not, Rohl needs depth, and that extra bit of star quality to get across the line this season.
Musaba, Cadamarteri, and Bannan are obviously three key players and whilst Fletcher is a divisive name among fans, having failed to record a single goal contribution in 18 Championship appearances for the Owls, Rohl obviously sees something in him.
Rohl continues to name Fletcher on the bench over the likes of Lee Gregory; Fletcher is a physical force who can run at opposition players, like Robins says, and unsettle defences.
But there’s still a desperate need for quality in this side and so the upcoming January transfer window is going to be crucial for the Owls, who finish their 2023 with a trip to Preston on Friday.