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Sheffield Wednesday held their bitter rivals Sheffield United to a draw in the Steel City derby at Hillsborough on Monday night. The goalless stalemate was a better result for the hosts than it was the Blades, as Chris Wilder’s side missed an opportunity to move into the automatic promotion places.
Despite the deadlock remaining unbroken, it was not a boring game, and in fact represented a fascinating tactical battle. Ultimately, Owls boss Steve Bruce will be the happier of the two managers, but both learned important lessons about their teams on Monday.
Steve Bruce is doing a brilliant job
One thing that this derby clash made clear is just what an impact Bruce has had at Hillsborough. Defensively, the Owls were brilliant to a man. The home side produced a dogged, battling, determined and diligent display to keep their fierce local rivals at bay for the ninety minutes.
Prior to Bruce’s appointment earlier in the year, the Owls would not have had the cohesion or confidence to pull off such an impressive defensive effort. Now, though, under the 58-year-old former centre-back’s stewardship, the likes of Michael Hector and Tom Lees are flourishing.
Did Chris Wilder get it wrong in the Steel City derby? Check out the thoughts of Ingood Nick below…
The Blades missed Mark Duffy
For all of their possession and endeavour, the Blades lacked incision and penetration. Without that killer final pass being good enough, the likes of Billy Sharp and Gary Madine stood little chance of scoring. In the end, Wilder’s side resorted to hopeful long balls, which Wednesday mopped up easily.
What the Bramall Lane club lacked was the influence of Mark Duffy, as the 33-year-old midfielder remained an unused substitute for the second Championship game running. The veteran has racked up four goals and six assists in the league so far this year, and might have been the key to unlocking the Owls’ stubborn rearguard. With his side having failed to find the back of the net at all, Wilder may now regret not having given Duffy a go.
Madine or McGoldrick is a big choice
Both Madine and David McGoldrick are fine strikers, each capable of scoring goals and having a positive impact. Madine was given the nod to start by Wilder on Monday night, with the 31-year-old taking his place on the bench. This was a far bigger decision than it might have originally seemed, as both the Cardiff City loanee and McGoldrick significantly impact the way United play.
By going with Madine, Wilder opted for a more physical, target man-like presence. This was the wrong call, as the Wednesday defence found this type of threat all too easy to cope with. When McGoldrick, and his movement and creativity, were introduced to the fold in the second half, the Blades immediately looked better and more potent. Had he been included from the off, the final result may have been very different.
