Wigan posed a question Sheffield Wednesday couldn't answer – now Pedersen must find the solution

Expectation levels have risen quickly at Hillsborough. Sheffield Wednesday went into Saturday's meeting with Wigan Athletic top of League One, leading the division's scoring charts and facing a side that started the afternoon at the bottom of the table. On paper, it looked like another opportunity to build momentum, but instead Wednesday were held to a goalless draw by a Wigan side that arrived with a clear plan, executed it well and gave Henrik Pedersen a problem to solve.

There is no need for an overreaction. Wednesday have taken 13 points from their opening six league matches, remain top of the table and recorded their first league clean sheet of the season. But equally, this wasn't simply one of those afternoons where the Owls dominated from start to finish, created chance after chance and somehow failed to score. Wigan made life genuinely difficult for them and, as the game developed, Wednesday struggled to find a way of changing it.

Possession without enough penetration

The statistics tell a significant part of the story. Wednesday had 59 per cent of the possession and attempted 492 passes compared with Wigan's 345, yet all of that time on the ball resulted in only 12 attempts and three shots on target. Wigan actually finished with 13 shots of their own and had nine attempts from inside the penalty area compared with Wednesday's eight.

Those numbers fit closely with Pedersen's assessment afterwards. The Wednesday boss felt his side had opportunities to increase the speed of the game but didn't take them, while there were too few runs beyond Wigan's defensive line and not enough players arriving in the penalty area. Particularly in the second half, Wednesday spent too much time passing in front of a compact Wigan shape rather than finding ways to get behind it.

“We have to improve a lot when opponents stay deep,” Pedersen admitted, and that might be the most important takeaway from the afternoon. Wednesday have produced some excellent attacking football during the opening weeks of the campaign, but Wigan presented them with a different challenge. Pedersen's side had plenty of the ball but couldn't consistently turn possession into penetration.

Wigan had a plan for Bannan

Crucially, Wigan's approach wasn't accidental. Their manager revealed afterwards that Barry Bannan had been deliberately man-marked as part of an attempt to disrupt Wednesday's rhythm, describing the Owls captain as the “talisman” of the team and explaining that restricting his influence made it easier to restrict Wednesday collectively.

It worked well enough to raise an interesting question for Pedersen. It would be premature to suggest Wigan have suddenly handed the rest of League One a foolproof blueprint for stopping Wednesday, particularly after the start the Owls have made, but opponents will have noticed how effectively they frustrated the league leaders. If Bannan is denied the space to dictate play and an opponent is prepared to remain compact behind him, Wednesday need alternative ways of moving the opposition around and creating openings.

Pedersen's own diagnosis offers an indication of what those alternatives need to look like. He wants quicker circulation, better combinations higher up the pitch, more movement beyond the defensive line and more players arriving in the box. Those are likely to be significant areas of focus on the training ground this week.

Wednesday had their moments

It wasn't an afternoon completely devoid of attacking threat. Mason Burstow struck the woodwork early on, while Kieran Morrison was again willing to carry the ball at defenders and tested the Wigan goalkeeper as Wednesday searched for an opening. Bannan sent an effort wide and Yan Valery also provided an attacking outlet down the right before his afternoon was cut short by injury.

The problem was that Wednesday never developed those moments into sustained attacking pressure. Wigan grew into the contest and carried a genuine threat themselves, hitting the woodwork in the second half and forcing Wednesday into more defensive work than would have been expected given the respective league positions going into the game.

That also helps explain why Pedersen was reluctant to describe Wednesday as dominant without the ball. He felt Wigan were particularly strong in the duels and when competing for second balls, which gave the visitors opportunities to transition and attack after Wednesday lost possession. Wigan's manager went further and felt his side should have won the game. Whether that assessment is shared or not, the statistics certainly support the broader point that this wasn't simply 90 minutes of Wigan desperately hanging on.

Lumley: We know we can do better

Joe Lumley's post-match assessment was similarly measured, describing it as “not our best performance” and acknowledging that Wednesday should be creating considerably more at Hillsborough. He also spoke about the mentality within the squad and the expectation that Wednesday should be looking to win the majority of their home games rather than being satisfied with avoiding defeat.

There was, however, an obvious positive at the other end. Wednesday finally registered their first league clean sheet of the campaign and Lumley was keen to spread the credit across the team rather than treating it as a personal achievement. Liam Cooper and Ricardo Santos played important roles before Gabriel Otegbayo and Liam Palmer helped see the game out, with Lumley describing one crucial late tackle from Otegbayo as being as valuable as scoring a goal.

Valery adds to defensive concerns

The potentially more significant consequence of the afternoon concerns Yan Valery, who required treatment before leaving the field after 62 minutes with a knee problem. The right-back appeared in discomfort as he departed and Pedersen was unable to establish the full extent of the injury immediately after the game.

Another defensive absence would be particularly unwelcome with Sil Swinkels and Max Lowe already sidelined. Lowe hasn't featured since the Carabao Cup tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 25 because of a hamstring problem and, although Pedersen says his recovery is progressing well, the Wednesday boss indicated it will still be some weeks before he can properly increase the intensity of his work.

There was more encouraging news surrounding Santos. His return strengthened Wednesday's back line and he completed 74 minutes before being replaced by Otegbayo, with Pedersen confirming afterwards that the change was due to cramp rather than another injury. Given Wednesday's current defensive numbers, getting Santos back on the pitch while also recording a clean sheet was an important positive to take from an otherwise frustrating afternoon.

Heskey absence explained

There was also a notable absentee from the matchday squad, with Manchester City loanee Jaden Heskey missing out. Pedersen confirmed there was no injury concern, explaining that Wednesday currently have six loan players but can include only five in a matchday squad.

It left Pedersen with a difficult selection decision and Heskey was the player omitted on this occasion. The manager said the youngster had understandably been disappointed but responded well to the decision. Heskey is expected to play for the Under-21s against Charlton before returning to first-team training on Tuesday.

A problem to solve, not a reason to panic

Perhaps the biggest indication of how quickly expectations have changed at Hillsborough is that a goalless home draw now feels like a significant disappointment. That comes with setting the early pace, but League One was never going to be a procession and Wigan provided a useful reminder of the different problems Wednesday will encounter over the course of a long season.

They competed physically, disrupted Wednesday's rhythm, deliberately limited Bannan's influence and encouraged the Owls to play in areas where they were comfortable defending. Wednesday still took a point, kept their first league clean sheet and remain top of the table with 13 points from six games, so there is little justification for turning one frustrating afternoon into something more serious than it is.

What matters now is how Wednesday respond when they encounter the same problem again. Other managers will have seen Wigan's approach and some will inevitably try elements of it themselves, but Pedersen already appears clear about what needs to improve. The ball has to move quicker, the movement ahead of it has to be better and Wednesday need to find more ways of getting players beyond a deep defensive line rather than simply circulating possession in front of it.

One goalless draw doesn't undo an excellent start to the season, but Wigan posed a question at Hillsborough that Wednesday couldn't answer. With Stockport County next up at the same venue, Pedersen has an immediate opportunity to show that his side can find a different solution.