Sheffield Wednesday haven’t enjoyed the most consistent start to the League One season but Darren Moore’s said are currently 12 games unbeaten.
Saturday’s 2-0 away win at lowly Crewe Alexandra pushed the Owls up to 7th place, joint on points with Plymouth and only 7 points off league leaders Rotherham United.
With January fast approaching and a list of injury concerns, Moore may be thinking about some new faces at Hillsborough.
Let’s have a look at how their 2021/22 season has gone so far and what we could see from them in the immediate future…
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Standout players so far for Sheffield Wednesday
Finding a consistent starting 11 has been somewhat of a challenge for Moore. Injuries, suspensions and international call ups doing him no favours. Though despite this, there have been some standout players so far.
Their captain and playmaker Barry Bannan has caught the eye in League One, as was expected for a player of his quality. He has been puulling the strings in midfield and scored against Crewe last time out.
One player who has not been so goal-shy is Lee Gregory. The former Millwall man scored his 8th league goal of the season against the Railwaymen.
His movement and attacking intelligence has been a bright light for Wednesday who have looked hard and wide to find their main goalscorer. Gregory’s calls may do enough to push Wednesday towards the automatic promotion spots.
Despite many changes to the backline, Liam Palmer has been one constant. The academy graduate adds that needed heart and passion to the team. He has recently been playing the middle of the three centre backs and has been showing his maturity and experience.
On-loan winger, Theo Corbeanu, struggled to get into the team at the start of the season but has become a fan favourite of late. Playing mainly as a wing-back, the Canadian has shown himself to be an attacking threat both cutting inside and driving to the byline.
Other noticeable mentions go to left-winger turned left centre back, Marvin Johnson and his centre back partner, Chey Dunkley.
Areas to improve
Despite recent improvements in their defence, Wednesday have had shaky moments at the back. Conceding late goals and too many goals is a cause for Wednesday sitting outside the playoffs rather than comfortably in them.
At the other end, goal scoring has been somewhat of an issue. Despite Gregory’s best efforts, Wednesday haven’t been prolific this season. With only 30 goals this season, Moore will be hoping the return of Josh Windass may improve their goalscoring record this season.
January agenda?
Moore and his team will be looking to dip into the market come January.
Their lack of backup in defence, even despite the adaptability of some of their players, is a concern. Against Portsmouth, Wednesday lined up without a recognised CB in the starting 11. The makeshift back three did still manage to keep a clean sheet. Maybe Moore is on to something.
Rumours suggest Sheffield Wednesday are looking at Josh Ruffles as a defensive option in the coming January window. Ruffles, who plays the majority of his games at left-back, signed for Huddersfield Town in the summer but has found game time hard to come by. Moore may be tempted to move Ruffles to left centre-back if he was to sign or deploy him as a left wingback.
Wednesday fans might be in for a crazy January transfer window.
Up next for the Owls is a home fixture against Accrington Stanley.
