Norwich City manager David Wagner cut a frustrated figure after watching his side draw 2-2 against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday night.
Sheffield Wednesday welcomed the Canaries to Hillsborough in what was their 5,000th league game.
But on a memorable night, Danny Rohl‘s side were rather forgettable, falling two goals behind within the opening exchanges.
Josh Sargent and Borja Sainz both capitalised on poor defending from the Owls and set Norwich up for what appeared to be a routine away win.
But Rohl rung the changes at half-time.
He made a quadruple substitution and, inspired by Callum Paterson and Will Vaulks among others, Sheffield Wednesday clawed their way back into the game.
Sheffield Wednesday come from two behind the draw with Norwich
The Owls scored two goals from corners on Tuesday night.
They chose the perfect time to finally discover their might from set pieces with Vaulks swinging into two curling crosses which were met by the heads of Michael Ihiekwe and then Michael Smith.
In the end, the Owls were deserved of their point; a point which moves them up into 22nd place of the Championship table, with Huddersfield Town in 21st only surviving on goal difference as things stand.
One more win for Sheffield Wednesday would currently see them leapfrog a handful of teams and move up into 18th.
David Wagner post-match comments after Sheffield Wednesday 2-2 Norwich City
And after full-time, Wagner made no mistake about his frustration at the result.
His side are chasing top six but Sheffield Wednesday schooled them in the second half.
Wagner is quoted by The Star as saying:
“We looked sharp, everything was there in ball possession, out of ball possession but we didn’t kill the game. We were not ruthless in the opponents’ box with a lot of clear-cut chances, good chances, and at the end of the day this decided the game.
“It’s frustrating because we played well first half against a team that wanted to play and wanted to press and find solutions second half against a team that was super-direct. A set piece can always happen.”
Wagner, who revealed before kick off that he has previously spoken to Rohl, went on to say of the Owls boss:
“I just had a joke with their manager and I said he’s the German Tony Pulis with how he played.”
Pulis oversaw 10 games in charge of Sheffield Wednesday during 2020 in what was a ‘nightmare’ tenure, winning once.
Why Norwich performance was crucial for Danny Rohl
Rohl deserves praise for a lot of things at Sheffield Wednesday.
But the Norwich game perhaps unlocked a new facet of praise for the Football League’s youngest manager; his ability to adapt.
It’s arguably been a criticism of Rohl’s so far. But he showed against Norwich that he is ready to ditch the main philosophy for something that works in the situation.
Like Wagner suggests, Rohl went from playing out from the back, neat and tidy football, to sheer overload, throwing balls into the box and crossing them in, with Paterson and Pol Valentin two battering rams on either flank.
It worked in the end and it’s something that Rohl might look towards in the final four games of the season.
Up next is Pulis’ former Stoke City side who have also reinvented themselves in the last few years.
Stoke City sit in 19th place of the Championship table ahead of their trip to Hillsborough on Saturday.
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