Sheffield Wednesday v Wimbledon: 'Frustrated' Henrik Pedersen wants more risk-taking

To be outside the League One play-off places only on goal difference with 38 games to improve is hardly the stuff of crisis, but owner David Storch's new era raised lofty expectations of exciting and successful football, and right now it is failing on both fronts.

Pedersen wants his players take more risks to change that.

Home is where the heartache is, and the Owls go into Saturday's game against Wimbledon having scored seven goals in four Hillsborough league matches. The problem is, all seven came against Bromley.

"I'm exactly as frustrated as they are," insists the manager, pictured.

"We want to create a Sheffield Wednesday team with power, a Sheffield Wednesday team with aggressive pressing and quick transitions (counter-attacks).

"We also want to have a Sheffield Wednesday team who have high ball-speed, a forward mindset and who creates a lot at Hillsborough.

"This is what we are working on every day in training and I'm sure it will grow and be a strength in the future."

His analysis of Wimbledon is hardly encouraging for home fans wanting to see goals either.

"It's a strong, defensive, very well-organised team, a physically strong team who is really strong in the medium block and from here they play very quick transitions," he warns.

Breaking that down is what Pedersen and his players have been working on this week.

"It goes hands in hand with the mindset when we have the ball to have intensity on the ball, to have this vertical (direct) mindset, to simplify things, and then to get bigger risk into our game," he says.

"We cannot expect to play ten passes without risk and then create something. You need to play with risk, you need to play forward, you need to play your best passes.

"You also need to risk losing your best passes but we don't want to lose them in our own penalty box.

"This is what he have trained all week – the structure, the mindset but also to come higher up the pitch.

"I really hope we play as we have trained this week because it's the first time I have seen in training this controlling but also this offensive risk mindset to create and play forward."

At least one thing in the Owls' favour was the positive injury bulletin.

"It's been a good week," reveals Pedersen. "We have had a big group and Maxi (Lowe) has trained a lot. Sil (Swinkels) has also trained this week and he's also improving.

"Jordi (Liongola) was on the pitch on Friday playing boxes with the boys. Ali (Al-Hamadi) has trained the full week, full power.

"(Ricardo) Santos is still in the gym, in the rehab. Louie Barry's running a lot and he worked really hard with the ball so we get more and more smiles from his face.

"There can be players who will be involved. Let's see who it will be."

Davis Keillor-Dunn is fully fit after the back problem which kept him to the bench at Huddersfield Town.