Liverpool attacker sees head coach officially sacked after 15 months
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A Liverpool attacker sees head coach officially sacked. There has been plenty of upheaval at the club in recent years, and one of Liverpool’s brightest young attacking players now finds himself in the middle of another change.On Sunday, League One club Sheffield Wednesday officially announced that head coach Henrik Pedersen had left with immediate effect, ending a spell of almost 15 months in charge.The decision followed back-to-back defeats in five days, 2–0 at Notts County on Tuesday and 2–0 at Doncaster Rovers in the South Yorkshire derby on Saturday.During that run, travelling supporters repeatedly chanted for the 48-year-old Dane to go, as Wednesday won only one of their last six league games and failed to score in four of them, leaving them eighth in the table after 11 matches, two points outside the play-off places.It is a sharp drop from the opening weeks, when they won four of their first five league games, including a 7–2 thrashing of Bromley, and Pedersen was nominated for League One Manager of the Month in August.Sporting director Simon Wilson thanked Pedersen for providing stability during an “exceptionally challenging period”, but said the club had not seen enough progress in their style of play or consistency. ”Although we have accumulated points, we haven’t seen enough progress in those areas,” he said.“We believe making a change now gives us the best opportunity to establish those foundations and build towards the second half of the season and beyond.”Matt Hamshaw will take interim charge for Tuesday’s home game against sixth-placed Cambridge United.Kieran Morrison, the 19-year-old Liverpool winger on a season-long loan at Hillsborough, was at the centre of Saturday’s tactical gamble at Doncaster, with BBC Radio Sheffield’s Rob Staton describing Pedersen’s decision to switch to a 3-5-2 and play him at left wing back as “a totally unnatural fit” for a player who is “clearly a talented attacking winger” but not yet strong defensively.Wednesday were 2–0 down within 20 minutes, and Pedersen abandoned the system and returned to a back four before the first quarter of the game had passed.That is a frustrating setback for a player who had made a bright start to his loan, creating both goals in a win over Peterborough United in September and earning a call-up to Northern Ireland’s senior squad for their four Nations League matches, having made his full international debut against Guinea in June.He came through Liverpool’s academy from under 14 level, made his senior debut in a Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace at Anfield last October, and signed a new contract with the club in May.Liverpool will be watching closely as Wednesday look for a permanent replacement.A new head coach who plays Morrison in his best position, rather than asking him to cover a defensive role, could be exactly what his development needs during a crucial season.Support DaveOCKOP and enjoy the site completely ad-free.
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