Newcastle man makes a positive impact
Achraf Lazaar came in for his Sheffield Wednesday debut against Swansea on Saturday and the Hillsborough faithful will have been very impressed with what they saw.
The Moroccan international has had to wait patiently for an opportunity since his deadline day loan move from Newcastle United last month as the Owls have looked a much more solid outfit defensively since parting company with previous manager Jos Luhukay in December. With Morgan Fox out of the squad for the clash with the Swans, Lazaar stepped up into the left-back position and grabbed his opportunity by producing a very good performance.
Lazaar defended with positive intent, often winning back the ball around the halfway line as Wednesday looked to press their opponents high in the first half. In addition to his positive defending, the 27-year-old also looked comfortable and confident in possession and contributed to a fine first-half display by the hosts, which saw the go into the half-time break 3-0 up.
The Owls ran out 3-1 winners in the end and Wednesday fans will be keen to see more of Lazaar after such an assured debut.