Xisco shoulders blame and identifies key problem areas after heavy Sheffield Wednesday loss

Wednesday fell to a 4-2 defeat the MKM Stadium after a torrid afternoon in Hull, conceding three second half goals after taking the lead in the first stanza through Juan Delgago.

Ozan Tufan’s hattrick and a goal from Aaron Connolly were enough in a scoreline that ultimately flattered Xisco’s men, and he says that they were not good enough in the duels or in terms of their physical condition.

“Right now I’m not finding the balance for a consistent performance,” he said after insisting that part of the responsbility falls on himself. “I thought the first half was a good level, but the second half we were very far away from what we want. We want to improve different things, but I want to push myself in these situations. I know the point where we are at in our team, and we are getting better - we’re closer to where we want to be, but we need to find solutions immediately for the goals.

“You can’t come here and think you’ll win 5-4, it’s impossible. We need to improve a lot with the clean sheets, with the defence, with the duels - every time we had a duel we lost it. We need to improve all that, but that’s my job. The club called me for this situation and I want to give 100% for it.

“It’s my responsibility, the players tried to give everything they have and we need to improve. We now have time to try and improve our tactics, our technique, our physical condition. In the second half they were all problems, and it’s my job to try to think about for the next games.”

Wednesday now turn their attentions to Preston North End next weekend when the Owls will be looking for a response at Hillsborough.