'It's not fair' - Sheffield Wednesday head coach Danny Rohl comments on £160m Leeds United difference
Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl said it was 'not fair' to compare the Owls' squad with the likes of Leeds United after losing to Daniel Farke's side at Elland Road.
The young coach was pleased with his team's performance between Leeds' first and second goals but said Wednesday needed a little bit of luck in addition to a promising display.
United took the lead within three minutes as Manor Solomon picked up a loose ball inside the penalty area and struck, after goalkeeper James Beadle flapped at a through-ball for Brenden Aaronson.
Leeds were made to wait until the final stages for their second of the afternoon as substitute Largie Ramazani found the back of the net from the edge of the box, before Ao Tanaka added a third in stoppage time at the end of the second half.
"I think between the first and second conceded goals, we had a proper performance," Rohl said. "From our side it was a good game from both sides [attacking and defending]. When you come here and start like this, it's not the best start, the reaction from my team was well. We adjust a little in our shape against the ball then at halftime we changed the pressing, small detail but it worked well. The end you see the scoreline 3-0, it looks like it was a huge gap."
"We want to be brave, we want to press and of course during the game, especially at the end, the game goes open. When you see the subs from Leeds, this is also the difference between the top team of the division and maybe us. We had a big chance from the header from Yan, it could be the equaliser. Then we have some moments 2-v-2 situations.
"The second goal from Leeds, he find the gap then he finish. I spoke to take something here you need a good performance and in the right moments a bit of luck. For me it was a huge step for how we've improved compared to how we played at home. Congratulations to Leeds, I wish them all the best, Daniel [is] doing a fantastic job here."
Asked whether Leeds' substitutes were the difference, Rohl made reference to the respective values of each squad.
"It's not fair to compare us with Leeds. After Wednesday when Shea Charles will leave us, our market value will drop back to £20 million, today we faced a team worth £180 million. For me, the focus is how we improve the players," he added.