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How Sheffield United got their mojo back

Sheffield United and Chris Wilder changed their approach against Tottenham - and it paid off - Shutterstock
Sheffield United and Chris Wilder changed their approach against Tottenham - and it paid off - Shutterstock

For a manager who took advice from Sir Alex Ferguson earlier in his career, you might expect the hairdryer treatment from Chris Wilder when it came to squeaky bum time in his first Premier League season.

For a team pushing for the Champions League places, they suddenly looked like plummeting down the table without a goal from their first three matches of Project Restart. “Before lockdown, we were being talked about as Champions League contenders. Then, we lost a couple and people said our bubble had burst,” said full-back George Baldock.

Wilder’s response was very un-Wilder. The manager known for being combative and brutal honesty decided to change tack. To get back to where they were, he changed his approach.

Then, before facing Tottenham on Thursday, Wilder held a team meeting and showed footage of a chance they created in the defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup last weekend. Chris Basham put the ball into the empty stands of Bramall Lane but his overlapping centre-backs had returned for the first time since football’s closure for the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think the players think I'm going a bit soft because I am a 'win' man. I'm not one to accept defeat easily but when you see signs,” Wilder said.  “Maybe they’ve seen a softer me. Maybe it was the right time to do it.

“The players and what they’ve achieved so far has been brilliant. Maybe they needed a bit of a lift as well. It’s been really positive around the training ground whereas before, because of how things have been going, it wasn’t such a happy place.

“We showed a clip when we did our presentation. A move Bash should have finished off. Bash was two yards out and it finished up in the Kop.”

It took four matches to get those defenders imposing themselves on opponents again like they did against Spurs. His wing-backs, Baldock and Enda Stevens, had a hand in all three goals and Basham provided an assist.

Without Jack O’Connell, it has taken Wilder’s team time to adapt without the cornerstone of their defence. And in midfield, injuries to John Fleck and John Lundstram has changed the look of an engine room that propelled United towards the European places.

It took time but two low-key signings from Nottingham Forest have helped them get back on track. Ben Osborn, who arrived last summer, made his first Premier League start against Spurs and helped set up a goal.  Jack Robinson came in January and Wilder rated him as his best performer during the opening matches after the restart.

“I am not surprised Ozzy,” Wilder said. “He is a great kid, an important member of the group and when an opportunity opened up, he grabbed it with both hands and I am delighted with him to make his Premier League debut in the manner that he did.”

Wilder has said that Sheffield United have struggled without the roar of their fans - Getty Images
Wilder has said that Sheffield United have struggled without the roar of their fans - Getty Images

Baldock believes the team spirit in the squad means players feel supported when they are not playing. “We see how good people like Jack and Ben are, day in and day out,” he said. “They never moan and never sulk when they aren’t in the team. They just get their heads down and work - brilliant professionals. Fair play, they deserve it.”

Having a chance of Europe has been against the odds. Project Restart has denied Sheffield United their passionate fans. As Wilder points out, they make a difference when they have a beer and roar their team on.

The club opposed the increase of substitutes, insisting it favoured the bigger teams. Wilder’s injury list meant he could only name seven on the bench against Spurs and only O’Connell is within sight of coming back soon.

VAR may have worked for them when Harry Kane’s strike was ruled out for a ludicrous handball against Lucas Moura, but that was a reversal of fortune for Wilder after their bad luck with technology, seeing a goal ruled out at Villa Park and being on the wrong end of marginal calls.

But the main reasons for getting back on track has been hard work, winning second balls and getting back to where they were pre-lockdown.

“They are the pillars of what has made us the side that has got results,” Wilder said. “If you don't win enough first and second balls and don't have the ability to drop on them and play, you don't get the ball. We can’t sit off really good players.”