da dobrowin： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
da bet esporte： Sheffield Wednesday got back to winning ways last weekend as they defeated Wigan Athletic 1-0 at Hillsborough.
Summer arrival Massimo Luongo scored the only goal of the game in what was his first league start for the club since joining from Queens Park Rangers.
The 27-year-old accurately slotted home from an Adam Reach cut-back in the 57th minute to hand the Owls all three points, but aside from that one moment, the game was rather drab.
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Neither side could muster up more than three shots on target as Garry Monk reverted away from the 4-4-2 that had proven to be successful against Middlesbrough just over a week ago.
As highlighted here, that’s a system that the 40-year-old needs to continually deploy, and Fernando Forestieri’s return could aid that substantially.
On the Chalkboard
The 29-year-old has missed their last six matches through suspension, but after the international break, he will be available for selection again.
According to reports, he is set to feature in a behind-closed-doors friendly with Rochdale this week, which will only bolster his match fitness ahead of a possible comeback.
His teammate Sam Hutchinson, who was on commentary duty while serving a suspension of his own on Saturday, claimed the forward was a ‘special talent’ that the team needs.
Forestieri is undoubtedly one of the most talented players amongst the Wednesday ranks, but over the last few seasons, he hasn’t managed to hit the heights he displayed early on in his Hillsborough career.
The south Yorkshire club reached the playoffs in his first two seasons where he netted 27 goals in 76 appearances, but since then, he hasn’t hit more than six in any one season, per Transfermarkt.
To some extent, injuries and disciplinary issues have hindered that.
But now under Monk, he has a fresh chance to dazzle once again – even more so if he opts for that 4-4-2 formation as Steven Fletcher needs a partner.
Despite playing the bulk of his career in the number ten role as shown by Transfermarkt’s recorded matches, his best performances have come when playing as a centre forward.
Since the 2016/17 season, Forestieri has averaged 3.2 shots or better when playing as a direct striker in a Wednesday shirt, which would go to great lengths to resolve one problem from the Wigan game.
He also recorded a minimum of 1.8 dribbles per game in a similar timeframe while the lowest average rating scored in any one year playing as a forward is 7.22 compared to the 6.78 overall rating he managed in 25 appearances last season, via WhoScored.
This demonstrates where his best role might be suited, it’s now up to Monk to take advantage of this.