Sheffield Wednesday moved up to fifth with a 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.
Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal has told the club’s official website that he is happy with the efforts of his strikers, even when they do not score.
Gary Hooper got the Owls’ winner against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, which saw Wednesday move up to fifth, but the manager was pleased with all of his forwards.
“It’s important we score goals, the strikers are there to try to score goals,” Carvalhal told swfc.co.uk.
“But it’s not just a question of goals. Gary and Fernando and then after that, Fletcher all did fantastic teamwork against Queens Park Rangers.
“It’s not just a question that they put the ball inside the net but it’s the way that they press.”
To the naked eye, Hooper should be the hero having grabbed the only goal of the game to give his side all three points, but Carvalhal sees the defensive efforts of his attackers of equal importance.
Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal before the match
For teams that play with a high intensity and look to win the ball back as soon as possible, defending from the front is imperative, meaning the strikers must do their bit of defending by putting the opposition under pressure and forcing them to relieve possession.
This kind of praise will be a huge boost for Steven Fletcher and Fernando Forestieri, who will be happy to know their work rate did not go unnoticed by the Portuguese gaffer.
Carvalhal will need his strikers to keep on working hard and harrying defenders if they are to get into the top two and achieve automatic promotion this season.
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