Eight reasons Leeds United must not underestimate Sheffield Wednesday threat as 4-0 result betrays truth
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While it might only be matchday three of the new season, Leeds face a different prospect against Wednesday to kick off this weekend's Championship action, compared to the last time these two met.
Last season, the Whites hosted the newly-promoted Owls at Elland Road during the early portion of the campaign and were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw as Leeds continued to get to grips with the second tier, following a turbulent summer.
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Hide AdThis time, Leeds have a more settled squad although it has been gutted by several high-profile exits with replacements expected in the coming days but as yet not through the door.
Wednesday's most important summer business was retaining German coach Danny Rohl. The young manager was highly sought-after but elected to remain at Hillsborough, which he helped ensure is still a second tier ground in 2024/25 by steering what appeared to be a rudderless Wednesday away from danger over the course of last season.
Rohl's men dismantled Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle by four goals to nil on the opening weekend of this season but were shell-shocked by a 4-0 beating at the hands of Sunderland on matchday two.
While the scoreline at the Stadium of Light did not tell the full story, Rohl will be eager for his side to bounce back in one of their biggest matches of the campaign with a real possibility of claiming a big scalp and climbing to six points after three games.
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Hide AdAdmittedly, two games is far too small a sample size to make sweeping judgements about a team's capabilities but it appears Wednesday have carried through 2023/24's late-season form into the new campaign, under Rohl's guiding hand. To that effect, the South Yorkshire club have registered 5.06 xG (Expected Goals) from their opening two matches - more than any other team.
Wednesday have also taken the most shots (40) and recorded the most shots on target (14) in the division from their first two outings this season, per Opta data.
Many of those did come in the win over Plymouth but at the very least it does indicate Wednesday pack a punch and are an altogether different entity to the one Leeds met around this time last year.
Furthermore, Rohl's side have generated the most xG from set-pieces (1.50) as well as from open play (3.56) and enjoyed the most touches in their opponents' box (81) compared to every other Championship club after two matches.
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Hide AdIt isn't merely in an attacking sense that Wednesday have been effective this year, either: their xGA (Expected Goals Against), which measures the value of chances created and shots taken by their opponents, is also among the lowest in the division (1.90) despite that 4-0 scoreline against the Black Cats.
The Owls have conceded 20 shots across their two matches but only seven of those have been from inside the penalty area, meaning Wednesday defend their box well. This figure is also the lowest percentage of shots conceded inside the box throughout the Championship.
While the statistics will paint a more accurate picture of Wednesday's threat after ten games, the data Leeds can rely on so far does suggest Daniel Farke and his side are in for a tough game on Friday night.
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