EFL

Danny Rohl says Sheffield Wednesday were not ruthless enough in Swansea draw

By Sports Desk March 29, 2024

Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl said his side were not ruthless enough at both ends of the pitch as they drew 1-1 with Swansea at Hillsborough on Good Friday.

Jamal Lowe’s second-half goal cancelled out Bailey Cadamarteri’s opener and the Owls missed several golden opportunities in the second half to win the game. The point sees them remain in the relegation zone.

Rohl said: “We will take the point. In our situation every point is important. We are disappointed because in the second half we created so many chances.

“We conceded, for me, what was a goal too easily given away from the corner. This week we spoke about getting the basics right and running for each other. I feel we did this today and if we continue like this we give ourselves a big chance.

“There was a handball for Swansea’s equaliser and it was a clear foul on Ike (Ugbo) so we should have had a penalty. This is disappointing but we will not use it as an excuse. We weren’t ruthless enough in both boxes.

“We went right until the end to try and get a winner. The atmosphere was fantastic, the fans really pushed us on the pitch and I think we should take the positives from this game.

“If someone had told me in September we would be this close to getting over the line I would take it. We are close because of how well we have done in the last weeks.

“It’s frustrating we haven’t come away with the win but now we’re only in the bottom three on goal difference. On Monday we have another big game at Middlesbrough and we will be going there to win.”

Swansea manager Luke Williams said he knows his players have enough to stay in the Championship but they must show more consistency.

Williams said: “In the first half I thought we controlled the game quite well. Our intensity was excellent.

“We created anxiety for Wednesday and their fans but we didn’t really make enough clean actions to score a goal.

“It’s frustrating to concede from a set-piece. I don’t like to talk about referees but Ronald was wrongly called offside in a promising position for us which led to the free-kick for their goal.

“The second half was like a basketball game. We wanted to try and win – we didn’t want to just settle for a point so it was end to end.

“In the last 20 minutes they caused us many problems which got the crowd up and we struggled to cope. I’d have preferred three but I’m happy with a point.

“I’ve got no problem with the effort from the players at all. We just weren’t able to impose ourselves on the game for long enough to get the victory.

“I know we have enough to stay in the division, I’m more concerned about the level of consistent performance. I want the fans who’ve travelled a long way to see we’re making progress.

“We’re not looking over our shoulders, we’re in a decent place. We got a point at Watford and now here and these are difficult places to go. Now we look ahead to QPR on Monday where we have a huge responsibility to make it enjoyable for our fans.”

Related items

  • Ancelotti defends Kroos substitution against Bayern Munich Ancelotti defends Kroos substitution against Bayern Munich

    Carlo Ancelotti defended his decision to substitute Toni Kroos during Real Madrid's 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich.

    The two European heavyweights shared the spoils in a thrilling Champions League semi-final first leg at the Allianz Arena, where Vinicius Junior's late penalty levelled the tie.

    Vinicius had opened the scoring in the 24th minute after latching onto Kroos' delicious throughball, one of a game-high 15 line-breaking passes the Germany midfielder played during the first half.

    The 34-year-old was replaced by Brahim Diaz for the final 14 minutes of the contest, which Bayern had turned around thanks to second-half strikes from Leroy Sane and Harry Kane.

    But Ancelotti, who knows the support of Madrid's fans will be crucial when he welcomes his former club to Santiago Bernabeu for next week's second leg, explained his thinking.

    "Jude Bellingham had cramp, Toni Kroos played a spectacular game, but the plan was to try to recover the control of the game by putting fresh legs in," the Italian told reporters during his post-match press conference.
     
    "As always, at this point in the season, we have a great opportunity to play in another final. It's an even tie against a great team. It will be another 90 minutes of suffering, but in an atmosphere that we know quite well. The fans are going to help us."

    Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel knows Bayern will have their work cut out in the second leg, but has encouraged his players to be confident and embrace the challenge.

    "The situation is now very clear," he said. "We go to Madrid and the winner takes it all. We are ready to fight. It is important to believe that.

    "It is still possible. It is 50-50. It is one of the toughest places to win, but that is also what makes this challenge exciting."

  • Manchester United clearout continues as two more senior boardroom figures depart Manchester United clearout continues as two more senior boardroom figures depart

    Manchester United have continued their clearout under Jim Ratcliffe by confirming the departures of Patrick Stewart and Cliff Baty.

    Interim chief executive Stewart and chief financial officer Baty will depart Old Trafford at the end of the current campaign.

    Stewart, who replaced Richard Arnold in the position at the start of the year, will be temporarily replaced by Jean-Claude Blanc until Omar Berrada arrives in July, while Roger Bell will take over from Baty.

    The news was confirmed by United on their official website on Tuesday.

    INEOS Sport chief Blanc is well known to Ratcliffe, who recently bought a 27.7-per-cent stake in United and is in control of footballing affairs.

    Bell also has ties to INEOS and will now take up the same CFO role at Old Trafford.

    Ratcliffe said: "I would like to personally thank both Patrick and Cliff for their support in helping us get to know the club and making us feel welcome and I respect their decisions to now move on as we establish a new management team for the club."

    Executive co-chairman Joel Glazer said: "I would like to thank Patrick and Cliff for their dedicated service to Manchester United and wish them well for the future. 

    "Both have been a source of invaluable advice and expertise over many years, and Patrick has served an important role as interim CEO during this transitional phase."

    Since Ratcliffe purchased a minority stake in United, the club have made a number of other changes behind the scenes.

    John Murtough stepped down as football director after more than a decade at the club, with Dan Ashworth lined up to replace him, while Jason Wilcox has been appointed as technical director.

    United are sixth in the Premier League with four games remaining, raising questions over the future of manager Erik ten Hag under the new regime.

  • Bayern were victims of Real Madrid's lethal efficiency, says Tuchel Bayern were victims of Real Madrid's lethal efficiency, says Tuchel

    Bayern Munich were victims of Real Madrid's lethal efficiency in Tuesday's 2-2 draw but the Germans are ready to beat them in next week's Champions League semi-final return leg, says coach Thomas Tuchel.

    The Bavarians struck twice in four minutes early in the second half with a shot from Leroy Sane and a Harry Kane penalty to turn the game around after Vinicius Junior had put the visitors ahead in the 24th against the run of play.

    Brazilian striker Vinicius also bagged an equaliser with an 83rd-minute spot kick as Bayern were pushing for a third goal.

    Tuchel felt Bayern were in a strong position to stretch their lead going into the closing stages, but instead they will travel to Madrid next Wednesday with the tie all square.

    "The result is what it is and it is not worth spending any time thinking about it," Tuchel, who will leave Bayern at the end of the season after a disappointing domestic campaign, said at his post-match press conference.

    "Real have done it before, to score twice with two chances. 

    "We are not the first team to suffer that. They have the finish, they have the quality to do that."

    Reflecting on the match, Tuchel added: "We had a strong start, then we lost a bit of our rhythm. 

    "Then [later in the game] we should have scored a third, but we were not efficient enough, not cold enough to add a third. Then we gifted them a penalty."

    Bayern enjoyed a strong start and also had chances to score again after going 2-1 up. 

    They will now need to win against Real, who are chasing a 15th European Cup, in Madrid if they are to advance to the final at Wembley.

    Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain face each other in the other semi-final, with the first leg of that tie taking place on Wednesday.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.