Sheffield Wednesday star makes clear prediction on where Danny Röhl future lies
Chatter around the future of the Owls manager has been rife for several months, with a host of clubs said to be admirers of the talented 36-year-old. Röhl told Wednesday of his ‘decision’ regarding where he sees himself moving forward, though the Owls are set to hold out for high compensation terms in the event of approaches from suitor clubs.
It means uncertainty for the coming weeks but what seems to be in no doubt is the thinking of senior players when it comes to Röhl’s tactical talents. Captain Barry Bannan has described the former Bayern Munich assistant boss as the best he’s worked with and now Josh Windass has followed suit.
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Speaking on what has become a controversial appearance on Scottish football podcast Open Goal, Windass was asked whether Röhl is the best he’s played under and said: “Tactically and that, yeah. By a mile. He takes all the out of possession and our assistant Henrik (Pedersen) takes the majority of the in-possession. But the detail is like nothing I’ve ever seen before to be honest.
“He’ll do the match plan before the game. Off the ball pressing, mid-third pressing, building up from a goal kick, building up from the mid-third and the positions you should be in. The Monday after we’ve played the game, he’ll get the exact same images up and make sure that we all followed the match plan. If you haven’t he’ll ask you and that’s when you’ll see.”
Going into more detail on how Röhl presents and analyses his instructions to players, Windass regaled the routine of team meetings both before and after matches. The German coach has spoken a number of times about the importance of these meetings to how he works. Having come through the ranks at RB Leipzig – initially as an analyst – his is a methodology unlike anything seen at Hillsborough previously.
“It’ll be a Powerpoint of the match plan and what he’s asked of you and then a visual of the game,” Windass continued. “If you’ve not done it, he’ll tell you he’s asked you to stand somewhere, why are you stood here? You can’t say ‘Well I think I should be stood here’, because it clearly says you should have been stood here.
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“I’ve got a lot of freedom, but within a structure. You’ve got to be in there every day to understand. Sometimes the meetings and that go on for a long time and you can see some of the lads switching off and that, but I just love it. You’re just learning all the time.”
One of the jobs Röhl has been tentatively linked with is Rangers, one of Windass’ former clubs. RB Leipzig, Wolfsburg, Southampton, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Leicester City are all other sides who have been reported to be admirers. Asked whether he feels the Wednesday boss will go to the top of the game in his career ahead, the Owls top goal scorer replied:
“I do yeah. I don’t think he leaves this summer, though. I think he’s got a buy-out clause and do people even pay for managers now?”
