This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Sheffield Wednesday head into this month’s international break on a downer, even though they still remain on the cusp of a playoff position.

Garry Monk’s men sit eighth just three points behind Bristol City in fifth, but over their last two matches, the Owls have seen a potential victory snatched from their grasp.

First, it was against Blackburn Rovers, where Wednesday bagged a late goal to take the lead, but it wasn’t enough to stop the home side mounting a comeback in the game’s dying stages.

And then at the weekend, left-back Morgan Fox’s 91st-minute strike looked to be enough to secure all three points before Ben Wilmot scrambled in a corner just moments later for Swansea City.

Game management is quickly becoming a significant issue for Monk.

But it’s not entirely a problem caused by the 40-year-old as it has been something that has sat deep-rooted amongst the playing squad for a while now.

The core group of this side was either built or introduced by former manager Carlos Carvalhal.

You’ve got Keiren Westwood in goal, Liam Palmer, Tom Lees, Kieran Lee, Sam Hutchinson, Barry Bannan, Adam Reach, Fernando Forestieri, Steven Fletcher and Atdhe Nuhiu all still here.

In this day and age, it’s quite rare to see a squad last so long together, not that it is a bad thing, but it is clear to see that previous traits are still prone to creeping in.

All of the players above barring Lees, who has missed games through injury, and Forestieri, who has missed matches through suspension, have played a considerable part in this campaign.

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The others have made 12 or more appearances in the league and have been here for a good three to four years, if not more.

Maybe the effect of losing in the playoffs back-to-back is still having some sort of mental impact as the club have now been through three managers since then, yet the same mistakes are continuing to happen.

It might be time to break up that core so that a fresh mindset can sweep amongst the squad, starting in January.