Sheffield United: The mind games being played during preparations for Coventry City

Recognising the emotional investment his squad has put into games against fellow promotion contenders Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough of late, Paul Heckingbottom altered United’s training schedule ahead of tomorrow’s visit to Coventry City.

Although that decision partly reflects the number of injuries his squad has collected in recent weeks, with John Fleck and Charlie Goode the latest members required to undergo treatment, Heckingbottom hopes it will help rejuvenate tired minds too.

“We’ve had a lot of games recently and within them there have been some really big performances and some really big wins,” he told The Star. “That drums up a lot of excitement, a lot of questions and also raises expectations.

“Listen, there’s no point in trying to tell people otherwise. Of course you get mentally invested in all of that. After all, these are the lads who are actually having to go out there and do it. So of course they are.

“When you get the mental side of things right, then very often the body will follow. So that’s something we’re looking to take care of, because that side of things is so important.”

United climbed to fifth in the table when they beat a Middlesbrough side managed by Heckingbottom’s predecessor Chris Wilder 4-1 on Tuesday night. City are 11th, six points behind sixth place.

Although the hosts were dealt a blow when defender Jake Bidwell was ruled out for around six weeks with a groin complaint, City’s issues pale into insignificance compared to those being endured by United. Jayden Bogle, George Baldock, Chris Basham, David McGoldrick, Rhian Brewster, Enda Stevens and of course Fleck are set to miss the trip to Warwickshire while Goode is a doubt after being diagnosed with a cartilage issue. Meanwhile, Ben Osborn and Conor Hourihane are both being “managed” through issues according to Heckingbottom.

Insisting there is a direct correlation between United’s fitness problems and a fixture calendar which has seen them contest nine matches since the beginning of last month, he said: “In terms of the games we’ve played, to be honest I’m just glad we have caught up. We were way behind on the number of matches played, because of all the postponements we had through no fault of our own over Christmas and New Year.

“Now we are on a par with most teams around us. Looking at the schedule, there could be a few teams facing a similar situation to the one we’ve just been through between now and the end (of the season).

“We’ve always been a pretty full on regime. I’m not going to lie, it would be nice to see some others face the same type of challenge we have.”

“When you’re light on numbers, you’ve just got to be a little bit creative,” Heckingbottom added. “And that’s what we have been, as we’ve gone through a really tough period for all sorts of reasons.”

MORE: https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/circumstances-mean-sky-blues-could-be-a-tougher-test-than-boro-3606289