EFL

Danny Rohl hails ‘massive’ point for Sheffield Wednesday against Leicester

By Sports Desk November 29, 2023

Danny Rohl hailed a “massive” point for Sheffield Wednesday and urged everyone to keep believing in his team after they came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against leaders Leicester.

The Owls, bottom of the Championship, levelled with a stoppage-time equaliser from Jeff Hendrick after the visitors had led through Abdul Fatawu’s first-half goal.

Rohl said: “Our players did so very well today. When you look how we played against the first of the table, how we pressed and how we played football.

“We had two big chances after five minutes to go in the lead. We believed in our match-plan and we did well.

“It’s a good feeling at the end that we had a happy end. It’s important that everybody is believing in us, supporting us and sometimes being a little bit patient.

“I know that sometimes it looks a little bit calm but we need this calmness to prepare the next action.

“My players did very well. It was good energy. It’s not easy when you play a team with so much quality. It’s a Premier League team. We fight for everything.

“It is massive for us. I believe in my players and I believe in the club. I’m in the right place and I enjoy every single day. I’m looking to Saturday to do it again.

“We deserved it. We pressed at the right moment and prepared good actions.

“At the end, I take the point for sure. I think it was deserved and it is great to see how we can work as a team together.”

Leicester’s lead came on 28 minutes when Stephy Mavididi sent over a cross from the left which went all the way to the unmarked Fatawu at the far post and he chested the ball down before firing past keeper Cameron Dawson.

The equaliser came in the third minute of time added on when the ball was lofted into the area and Callum Paterson’s cushioned header fell perfectly into the path of Hendrick who finished with ease.

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca was not too down-hearted with the result.

He said: “Championship games, they never finish. Sometimes we can concede, like tonight. That’s been a shame because the game was almost finished. At the end we concede.

“We try always but we know it’s not easy because sometimes, even if you see the table tonight, the first against the last, but it’s complicated.

“This team draw away against Leeds so you never know. I think we controlled the game but at the end we then concede the draw.

“For sure we could do something better, no doubt, on the ball and off the ball, but it is what it is.

“Still top but this is a long race. In less than 72 hours, we have one more game. Now it is a matter of recovery. The most important thing is to recover the energy.

“We could do many things better. We create some chances where we need to be a bit more clinical. I think at two-nil the game is finished – we kill the game.

“The idea was to allow players to recover for the next game. You need to refresh.”

Related items

  • PSG must control Le Classique emotions, says Luis Enrique PSG must control Le Classique emotions, says Luis Enrique

    Paris Saint-Germain will not need any extra motivation when they travel to the Orange Velodrome to face rivals Marseille, says Luis Enrique. 

    Luis Enrique's side return to Ligue 1 action after a disappointing draw with PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in midweek. 

    Though the Parisiens remained unbeaten against Dutch sides in all competitions, the result left PSG 19th in the new league standings after three games. 

    But PSG have impressed in the league this season, winning six of their eight games and currently at the Ligue 1 summit ahead of Monaco on goal difference.

    However, Luis Enrique insisted form counted for little in a game that he expects to be an emotional affair, something he acknowledged his players would have to control.

    "With this type of match, it doesn't matter what you've done before," Luis Enrique said. 

    "There's so much tension. I'm very satisfied, we played a very good game against PSV Eindhoven. I'm very optimistic about what I'm seeing.

    "High-voltage matches are almost the easiest, you won't have a lack of motivation.

    "But you have to be careful not to get overly motivated, I take that into account. You need 100% motivation, not 105%. You mustn't be ruled by emotions.

    "We're five points clear of last year, we've started even better. AS Monaco and Marseille are at a different level.

    "If that continues, we'll see. It's positive for everyone, it keeps the players motivated."

    This weekend's meeting will mark the 108th between the sides in all competitions, with PSG winning 50 of those games. 

    But the encounter will see Marseille's home record and PSG's form away from home put to the test. 

    Marseille have lost only one of their last 20 home games in Ligue 1 (W11 D8), though that defeat came against the Parisiens in a 2-0 defeat back in March.

    PSG have not lost any of their last 28 away matches in Ligue 1 (W21 D7), the longest streak in the history of the competition, with that run beginning against Marseille in February last year.

    And Luis Enrique expects another difficult encounter at the Velodrome, even more so against Roberto De Zerbi, who impressed the PSG boss during his time at Brighton.

    "For me, De Zerbi is an exciting coach that I followed at Brighton. He is a coach who likes to attack, we have that in common," he said.

    "The way he wants to dominate matches, his ability to convince his players... I had a lot of fun (watching) his Brighton team. I hope I won't have as much fun tomorrow."

  • Bayern aiming to take 'next steps' after Barcelona defeat, says Kompany Bayern aiming to take 'next steps' after Barcelona defeat, says Kompany

    Vincent Kompany is hoping Bayern Munich will take the lessons learned from their defeat to Barcelona into their return to Bundesliga action against Bochum this weekend.

    Despite Harry Kane cancelling out Raphinha's opener, the German outfit were swept aside at the Camp Nou, losing 4-1 to leave them 23rd in the new league standings.

    The defeat saw Barcelona become the first team since Real Madrid in April 2014 to score three first half goals in a Champions League game against Bayern. 

    Raphinha also became the fourth player to net a Champions League hat-trick against Bayern, after Roy Makaay, Sergio Aguero and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

    Bayern have, however, fared better in the Bundesliga. They remain unbeaten in their seven league games and are top of the table on goal difference, ahead of RB Leipzig.

    But Kompany believes the defeat should not see his players lose sight of their aspirations this season as they aim to reclaim their Bundesliga crown from Bayer Leverkusen.

    "We conceded four goals. But I would not just talk about that (defence). It's too easy. The responsibility lies with the entire team," Kompany said.

    "We have the quality and players. I understand we lost and we have to accept the criticism.

    "But I do not want to lose sight of what the boys can achieve if they take the next steps.

    "The basis is that the team works and that it learns from such moments.

    "We are not surprised that not all was perfect. It is normal. After all we did not win a title last season."

    "There are games where it is clear what happened. But that was a game with a lot of moments and not everything went wrong," Kompany continued.

    "There were also good moments which we did not use or were not too concentrated."

    But Bayern have reason to be confident of recovering from their humbling defeat to Barcelona. 

    They travel to the Vonovia Ruhrstadion in impressive form on the road, scoring 17 goals in their first four Bundesliga away games this season, which is a league record. 

    Kompany's side have also found the back of the net at least three times in each of their last four top-flight games on their travels and would equal another league record should they do so again this weekend (set by Bayern themselves in 2019-20 under Hansi Flick).

    But they have struggled to keep goals out at the other end.

    Bayern have kept just one clean sheet in their last 15 Bundesliga away games, with only Bochum (31) conceding more goals on the road in 2024 than the Bavarians (29).

  • Flick lauds 'brilliant' Barcelona adaptation ahead of Clasico showdown Flick lauds 'brilliant' Barcelona adaptation ahead of Clasico showdown

    Hansi Flick hailed his "brilliant" Barcelona players as they look to further their advantage at the LaLiga summit against rivals Real Madrid on Saturday. 

    Flick watched on as he helped his side end a run of six-straight Champions League defeats against Bayern Munich with a stunning 4-1 victory in midweek. 

    Barcelona are now unbeaten in their last four games in all competitions, scoring 17 goals in those matches, but they face a stern test at the Bernabeu to keep that run going.

    Los Blancos produced an equally impressive Champions League display, coming from two goals down to beat Borussia Dortmund 5-2, inspired by Vinicius Junior's hat-trick.

    Flick will be managing his first competitive game as a coach against Real Madrid, and has been impressed with his side's ability to understand his way of playing.

    "We have our ideas. Our philosophy is to press high and make it hard for the opponent to play out. Too much space between the lines doesn't work for us," Flick said.

    "The players are brilliant and continue to adapt from game to game.

    "The changes have worked, I believe in the team, they have so much quality and that’s what we want to see."

    Flick will also be looking to become the first Barcelona coach since Gerardo Martino in 2013 to win their first official Clasico. 

    The Barcelona coach also heaped praise on Lamine Yamal for his performances this season, with the 17-year-old preparing for his fourth Clasico against Real Madrid. 

    Yamal made his 10th start in the Champions League in Barca's win over Bayern, becoming the youngest player at the time of doing so in the competition’s history (17y 102d).

    He has also impressed in LaLiga this term, notching 10 goal involvements (four goals, six assists), a total only bettered by Robert Lewandowski (14) in the division.

    "Specifically for the game against Bayern I wanted him to do one thing among many that he needed to do, which was to press (Alphonso) Davies from the last line into midfield because we knew how important he was when he started to attack," Flick said.

    "Yamal is a fantastic player with the ball, you could all appreciate that against Bayern.

    "It’s an honour to see what Lamine did for all of us and it’s important that he can improve as a defender. And he’s doing that very well."

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.