Sheffield Wednesday may have moved into third place with their narrow victory on Sunday afternoon, but the performance merely highlighted that their season could hinge on one major factor – notwithstanding of the uncertainty mounting off the pitch.
The Owls defeated Bristol City 1-0 at Hillsborough courtesy of an 85th-minute penalty from Barry Bannan. The midfielder was handed the opportunity after Atdhe Nuhiu was fouled inside the area.
It settled a rather drab game all-round with the visitors only managing to record three shots, just one on target while both teams combined for nearly 30 fouls.
Garry Monk was without the services of his 12-goal top scorer Steven Fletcher as he missed out through illness and you could tell that the home side lacked a threat in his absence.
The 40-year-old handed the reigns to the underwhelming Atdhe Nuhiu, and despite moving closer to the runaway league leaders, the Owls may well have to address this issue going forward.
Per SofaScore, Wednesday had a total of 16 shots but could only win through a spot-kick. Nuhiu had two attempts at goal, both off target while he also lost possession 16 times, conceded five fouls and was dribbled past on two occasions.
The striking colossus proved to be far from the quality that Fletcher brings to the side, which could be a problem as the season rumbles on as if the 32-year-old is absent again, they’ll have the exact same problem.
Last time out, the Owls thrashed Nottingham Forest 4-0 with Jordan Rhodes pairing Fletcher, but next to Nuhiu he was just as ineffective as the Kosovan.
At 6 foot 5, the long-serving 30-year-old is merely used as a battering ram to combat teams in the air yet it is a pretty pointless task when he wins fewer aerial duels per game on average than the man he’s deputising for.
Calling all Premier League experts: Who do these unique statistics belong to? Find out below….
Nuhiu averages 5 per game while Fletcher, despite being shorter, wins 6.3 per match, via WhoScored. That only goes to show the attacking nous at his disposal, making him one of the most integral cogs in this system.
Without him, Monk should be worried as the strikers behind him are just not good enough to fill his void. It is something that will need some work in January, for sure.
While in other Owls news, Should Sheffield Wednesday push for Rhian Brewster on loan? Our writers dissect the potential loan move…
