Five things we learned after Sheffield Wednesday's draw at Cardiff City
Daniel Pudil’s 55th minute goal cancelled out Peter Whittingham’s early opener and stretched their unbeaten run on the road to three matches.
Here are five things I learned following the long trip to the Cardiff City Stadium.
Wednesday really are the Championship’s comeback kings
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Hide AdWe are just over a quarter of the way through the season and the Owls have claimed an impressive 11 points from losing positions this season, with nine of those coming at Hillsborough.
It is true that Wednesday need to stop making life so difficult for themselves and start getting their noses in front but you can’t question their team spirit. They keep going to the bitter end as they underlined versus Brentford, Bristol City and Nottingham Forest.
Adam Reach has plenty of strings to his bow
With Carvalhal short on striking options, he decided to utilise Reach’s abilities in a more central role.
It was an unusual, unexpected move given Reach is unlikely to have played the position on many occasions in his career but the Owls’ record-signing put in a strong showing. He was given a licence to roam and troubled Cardiff’s backline with his clever runs and dribbling skills.
Almen Abdi is still searching for his best form
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Hide AdThe midfielder has undoubted pedigree but has failed to impress since moving to Hillsborough last July. He looks short on confidence and has struggled to hold down a regular starting spot.
At the Cardiff City Stadium, he was taken off at half-time after another ineffectual display. It is the fourth time Carvalhal has brought him off after the first period of a match.
The Owls have made themselves tougher to beat on the road
The draw at Cardiff stretched Wednesday’s unbeaten run on their travels to three matches.
Defensively Carvalhal’s men have shored things up and stopped giving away soft goals. David Jones has definitely added an extra layer of protection to the back four but the Owls have upped their game as a collective unit. They now look a difficult side to break down, shipping in only one goal against Blackburn Rovers, Huddersfield Town and Cardiff.
There’s still room for improvement in the final third
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Hide AdAs Carvalhal stated post-match, the Owls were the better side in the second half in South Wales. It was Wednesday who appeared more likely to grab a winner.
However, the team’s end product needs to get better. The Owls have failed to score more than once in any of their seven away fixtures this season. Too many opportunities continue to go begging and that lack of composure and cutting edge could come back to bite them in the long-term.