Another tick in the box for “honest” Sheffield United as Leicester City win caps huge week in season ambition
Another tick in the box for “honest” Sheffield United as Leicester City win caps huge week in season ambition
Sheffield United’s “honest” players saw another tick placed in the box after they showcased both sides of their game to cap a huge week with three more big points at Leicester City on Saturday. The Blades travelled to the King Power on the back of successive 3-0 wins.
And things looked rosy when they eased into a lead of the same scoreline inside the first 45 minutes, helped on their way by some poor Foxes defending but also showing some excellent link-up play to carve them open.
It could have been more at the break, too, but the Foxes opened up in the second half as they looked to get back into the game and United then had to show what they are made up from a different perspective, standing firm despite goals from Stephy Mavididi and Jordan James.
The manner of the three victories in six days has further fuelled belief that the Blades can still turn their season around despite their horror start, with Unitedites well and truly back on side - as shown by more welcome post-match scenes at Leicester.
“I've got a together group, I've got an honest group,” said Wilder afterwards. “They're fighting for each other. There were a lot of tied bodies out there. We had to do what we had to do tactically to try and see it out, of course.
Another tick in the box for “honest” Sheffield United as Leicester City win caps huge week in season ambition
“They have top players and they didn't have anything to lose when that period came around. It took a mistake to get them back into the game [from United goalkeeper Michael Cooper] and then it's down to two and anything can happen.
“The next game was incredibly important, and they got it. But from a character point of view in the second half, and from a football point of view in the first half ... absolutely outstanding.”
There has been a sense that a week like this has been brewing for a while, with United slowly clicking into gear and their confidence and belief, that was shattered earlier in the season, slowly being regained.
The challenge now is to keep that going, which they will have to do if they still want to achieve success this season having given the rest of the division such a head start. In a remarkably congested league, only 10 points now separate Wilder’s men in 19th and sixth-placed Bristol City.
“We have delivered on a huge week for the football club, and we have got to keep delivering,” Wilder added. “That is my challenge to the players. We have got to keep going. We are still not comfortable in the position that we’re in.
“But we have seen the division, and we have just got to show that consistency right the way through our approach and our attitude from Monday to Friday. We need to deliver performances and results like we have done this week. There is still an incredible amount of football to be played in this division, we don’t get ahead of ourselves.
“We have still got work to do. I have been in the game long enough and been hurt enough times in the game to know we haven’t cracked anything. But we are nicely working our way into the situations that I want.”