‘If we play like that’ – Sheffield Wednesday midfielder makes prediction for Owls’ turnaround

The 24-year-old was handed a start in the German’s first game in charge over the weekend, and put in a good shift prior to coming off – about five minutes before Yaser Asprilla’s winning goal.

It wasn’t to be on the day for Wednesday, but after the manager spoke of positives to take from the tie, Buckley also insisted that if performances remain on that kind of level then they will start to pick up results once again.

Speaking to the media over the weekend the Owls loanee said, “The manager has been very positive and he believes in us. He’s putting his principles into training, and we’ve trained really hard this week. I feel we put that into practice, but unfortunately we haven’t come away with anything.

“There’s still a lot of games to go and it was always going to be a challenge, but it’s something we’re up for. As you’ve seen, there were plenty of positives. Every game is important and if we play like that then we have every chance…

"Each manager has different styles of play and things like that, but all the lads have bought into it so far. I thought our pressing was good today, we got the crowd against them which we wanted to do a little bit, it’s just a shame we didn’t come away with any points to be honest."

One element most noticeable about the showing at Vicarage Road was the high press and consistent work ethic shown by the team in blue and white – it’s not a coincidence.

When asked what Röhl has demanded of the players so far, Buckley - on loan from Blackburn Rovers - replied, "Intensity, being composed on the ball, having good connections with each other, trusting each other on the ball, not just kicking it forward, things like that… We’ve just got to stick together, and if we play like that, we’ll be able to pick up points, no doubt about that."

The Owls are back in action on Wednesday night when they take on Plymouth Argyle in a crucial game at the bottom end of the Championship table.