With half of the 2015/16 Championship season done, Sheffield Wednesday sit at their highest point at the halfway stage since relegation from the Premier League, and the second half of the campaign could be a very exciting one.
There have been so many positives to come out of this season so far, from the signings that we’ve made, to the goals that we’ve scored and the points we’ve collected. If the next 23 games go as well as the first 23, we could genuinely be ‘on our way back’.
We are most certainly one of the most effective…
As a club we’ve already scored more goals at home than we did in the whole 2014/15 season (16 last season, 21 this season), and have already won seven games at Hillsborough after winning just five last time out. Our home form has drastically improved.
For the first time in years our players are pushing for honours too… Ross Wallace, Fernando Forestieri and Lucas Joao have already won PFA Player of the Month awards, and Forestieri (10)/Wallace (6) are joint-second in the goals/assists charts respectively.
As a side note, it will also come as no shock that Sam Hutchinson (10) is storming away with the most yellow cards in the league. However, he has been superb for us this year so I reckon we can all agree to let that slide?
To be honest I think it’s been largely a team effort.
Anyway, the point of this piece is to actually shed some light on the stats after 23 games, both for the club and for our players.
Sheffield Wednesday’s averages per game:
(Where we rank in the league)
Goals: 35 (2nd)
Possession: 49.6 (13th)
Pass success: 72.8 (11th)
Key Passes: 8.7 (21st)
Shots: 11.9 (20th)
Shots on target: 4 (17th)
Fouled: 11.9 (6th)
Conceded: 27 (12th)
Shots conceded: 11.8 (18th)
Tackles: 17.4 (8th)
Fouls: 13.1 (1st)
Sheffield Wednesday top performing players:
(Where they rank in the league)
Goals: Fernando Forestieri – 10 (2nd)
Assists: Ross Wallace – 6 (2nd)
Pass Success: Alex Lopez – 83.4 (26th)
Aerials Won Per Game: Atdhe Nuhiu – 5.4 (9th)
Shots Per Game: Fernando Forestieri – 3.6 (2nd)
Passes Per Game: Barry Bannan – 54.9 (14th)
Key Passes Per Game: Ross Wallace – 2.2 (6th)
Crosses Per Game: Ross Wallace – 1.8 (6th)
Fouled Per Game: Fernando Forestieri – 2.3 (4th)
Tackles Per Game: Kieran Lee – 3.1 (5th)
Interceptions: Sam Hutchinson – 3.6 (3rd)
Fouls Per Game: Atdhe Nuhiu – 2.4 (3rd)
I think there are a few players in our squad that, even though they may not have been mentioned regularly in these stats, have still played a major role in our success, and to be honest I think it’s been largely a team effort.
The stats show that, while we aren’t the most attacking team in the league, we are most certainly one of the most effective. Long may that continue in the second half of the season.
*All stats courtesy of WhoScored.com