adminHenrik Pedersen hails Sheffield Wednesday ‘courage’, singles out ONE Oxford United star for praise, but makes clear demand after Oxford defeat
Sheffield Wednesday lost 2-1 to Oxford United on Saturday, but there was a lot to like about the performance.
Henrik Pedersen has heaped praise on his ‘courageous’ Sheffield Wednesday players following their 2-1 defeat at home to Oxford United on Saturday, but has given them one clear demand.
The Owls found themselves behind at half-time for the fourth game in a row after Will Lankshear and Cameron Brannagan fired the U’s into a 2-0 lead. However, just as they did against Middlesbrough and Charlton, Wednesday stuck to their task and stayed in the game – even treating a bumper Hillsborough crowd to a 53rd-minute goal from Sean Fusire.
While Oxford dominated the first half with seven shots to Wednesday’s five, it was the hosts who took control after the break, outshooting United 12-4.
Henrik Pedersen hails Sheffield Wednesday ‘courage’
Despite another disappointing defeat that comes just a day after a 12-point deduction for entering administration, Pedersen couldn’t help but admire the ‘courage’ his players showed on Saturday.
“To lose this game 2-1, I think there was much more for us in this game. We had the same first half, in the last two games,” Pederson told reporters.
“We struggled a little bit in our build-up in the first half, to find the right positions, the right movements, the right solutions to come out of the pressing from them. And then we conceded two goals again in the first half.
“We made some changes for the second half, especially on our offensive position, and I have to say that the boys played a really strong second half. From a tactical perspective, mentality, courage, they played a strong second half, and I think there were chances for more than a 1-2 result.”
Henrik Pedersen urges players to avoid half-time ‘mountains’
If Wednesday are to salvage something from this campaign, they simply must start pairing these strong second-half performances with a better first 45 minutes to craft an overall display.
That’s Pedersen’s next demand of his players, who need to avoid leaving themselves with ‘mountains’ to climb in the second halves of matches.
The Dane added: “How we come back is great for the boys, but this courage and this belief, let’s take it from the first moment and the first minute.
“But in the last three games, we’ve shown how we can compete with Charlton, with Middlesbrough, with Oxford. We have for sure been the best team in the second half in all three games.
“But again, we gave ourselves a mountain to climb in the first half to come back in the second half. But when we can compete with them in big periods, I’m also sure that we can compete with them for longer periods, when we train more. I’m sure there are still a lot of points for us in the future.”
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