Wednesday’s long awaited win for consecutive home league wins went on tonight after a late, probably undeserved, draw with Reading, and it’s now nearly a year and five months since we won two home Championship games in a row.
WhoScored.com‘s stats show that the Owls didn’t show nearly enough going forward against Reading and the Royals will feel very aggrieved to have snatched a draw from the jaws of victory on the night.
Carlos Carvalhal will have a lot to think about before the big game against Leeds United, and no doubt we’ll need a much better performance if we’re going to get anything at Elland Road.
Breakdown –
Passing:
As in the game against Ipswich, Wednesday managed to come out of this game with better possession, passing numbers and passing accuracy, but once again failed to do anything with the ball, failing to create any real chance chances for themselves.
The Owls had more possession (53.4%/46.6%), and made as many accurate passes (409) as Reading attempted in the whole game. They also had a better pass completion rate (79%/75%) and more touches of the ball over 90 minutes (638/562).
However, even though Reading made 106 passes less than Wednesday on the night, they managed to pick out over five times more key passes (11/2), with Hal Robson-Kanu and Orlando Sá (three each) making more key passes on their own than the entire Owls side.
Marco Matias was practically non-existant on his wing and attempted less passes (11) than any other player that started the game, completing just 63.6% of them. Glenn Loovens (91.3%) and Lewis McGugan (90.3%) were the only players that managed a 90%+ pass completion.
Ross Wallace was again busy on the wing, attempting more crosses than anyone else on the pitch (9) however only one of those was successful, again signalling that it could be time to bring Atdhe Nuhiu back into the side.
Offensive:
Given the fact that Wednesday only managed four shots in total (two on target) throughout the course of the game, there isn’t really much to discuss on the attacking side of things.
Modou Sougou had as many shots (two including his goal) during his 33 minute spell as the rest of his teammates had in 90, and has surely staked a claim for a starting berth in the Leeds game this weekend.
Reading, led by Oliver Norwood with four shots, had nearly four times the amount of efforts on goal (15/4) that Wednesday did, however only managed three on target themselves, with neither ‘keeper really being troubled too much.
Jack Hunt again led the way with successful dribbles (2), however was much quieter in the second half than he did in the first, while Lucas Joao had a tough evening, making seven unsuccessful touches and being dispossessed twice.
Defensive:
Rhoys Wiggins looked a lot more competent defensively than Jeremy Helan in the last game, with the Welshman winning 100% of his tackles on the night, as did his counterpart at right back, Hunt (both 3 out of 3).
Paul McShane had an impressive game for Reading at the back, making more clearances (7) than any other player, however was closely followed by Tom Lees (6), who also managed to win more aerial balls (6) than any other player.
It will come as no surprise to Wednesday fans that Sam Hutchinson led the way in the most fouls committed category (5), while Wallace, McGugan and Vincent Sasso were the only Owls to block shots, getting one each.
Reading’s Aaron Tshibola had a solid game in the centre of the park, making eight interceptions and one clearance, as well as having 82 touches of the ball, second only to Hutchinson (84).
Summary:
It’s a similar story for Wednesday in this game as in the Ipswich one. It’s not a lack of taking chances that is causing a problem at present, it’s a lack of creating.
Matias has been uneffective in both of our last two league games, and one would think that Sougou’s impact with his time on the pitch would suggest that he is deserving of a starting spot in the next game.
Carvalhal will have to find a way to make sure that his side start using the ball more effectively going forward, and if that means sacrificing possession and passing stats in order to find some creativity and forge more chances then so be it.
Best Of The Best*
Most Passes – Sam Hutchinson (SWFC) – 75
Best Pass Completion* – Glenn Loovens (SWFC) – 91%
Most Successful Dribbles – Jack Hunt/Daniel Williams (SWFC/RFC) – 2
Most Successful Tackles – Rhoys Wiggins/Jack Hunt/Aaron Tshibola (SWFC/RFC) – 3
Most Key Passes – Hal Robson-Kanu/Orlando Sá (RFC) – 3
Most Interceptions – Aaron Tshibola (RFC) – 8
Most Crosses – Ross Wallace (SWFC) – 9
All stats via WhoScored.com
*Played more than 15 minutes