Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Röhl held his pre-match media conference earlier today ahead of Saturday’s home game against Millwall. We’ve selected the best bits for you to enjoy.
Selection revision
The Owls’ head coach provided some encouraging news about Josh Windass, who missed last week’s loss at Bristol City due to a muscular injury. Fortunately, the 29-year-old is back in training and could make a quick return against the Lions.
“We’ll see how good he is in training on Friday – and then it’s about performance,” Röhl went on to say. “But we’ll see tomorrow, it’s a good process and it’s about looking day-to-day.”
Another plus is the return of skipper Barry Bannan after his red card was overturned, though Juan Delgado is expected to be out for some time after Röhl confirmed that the Chilean’s recovery will be “a long process in the coming weeks and months” following recent hip surgery.
Extremely superstitious
After the non-award of a penalty in his first game at Watford and the unfortunate Bannan incident at Bristol, the German could be forgiven for thinking his luck has run out.
To that end, he was asked by the media if he had any superstitions. “After the first defeat, I changed my shoes!,” the 34-year-old exclaimed, a big grin on his face. “I began with white shoes and am now wearing black shoes!” All these little things I do to earn points!
Let’s hope it goes well this weekend.
Palmer’s most recent
Liam Palmer, last season’s player of the year, has had a difficult season so far, coming in and out of the team and starting only one-third of the team’s 15 league games.
He’s yet to feature since Röhl took over and has missed out on the squad completely in the last two games. “Liam’s reaction in the last two weeks has been fantastic,” the Owls’ boss said when asked on the 32-year-old’s situation. “He’s had so much success here and has been a part of this club long-term. He knows what I demand from him and this week he’s shown he’s ready and he wants to be back in the squad. This is football when you have a big squad.”
He was also quizzed on whether he could see the Scotland international being deployed in midfield, as was the case at the tail end of last season, but he confirmed he primarily sees Palmer as a defender.
Other miscellaneous items
Regarding additional coaches, Röhl stated that he hopes to announce a new member of his staff as soon as next week if a deal can be worked out with his current club.
The Owls’ manager also confirmed that both Devis Vasquez and Di’Shon Bernard will leave for international duty with Colombia and Jamaica, respectively, with decisions expected in the coming days.
He also spoke passionately about the data aspect of his coaching and how he’s noticed a “big jump” in physical output in his first month at the helm: “It’s definitely going in the right direction.”
Djeidi Gassama was also mentioned by his manager, who wants to see him build on a promising full debut last weekend.
“We have to push him, we have to develop him in all facets,” he said. “It’s not just about football; it’s about his body being able to perform at this level for 90 minutes.”
“He is open-minded and is improving his English, which is good and important because he needs to understand our game.” It’s not so much about his age as it is about his readiness as a player. And we will assist him and others to the best of our abilities.”
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