Chris Wilder gives his verdict on Sheffield United's state-of-readiness as they hunt a Champions League place
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Citing the number of games United played en route to promotion from the Championship last term - the second tier schedule is more congested than the one followed by top-flight clubs - Wilder issued the prediction after studying the professionalism of his players since English football entered lockdown in March.
“I believe we’d need two, possibly three, weeks to get back up to speed,” Wilder said. “The different movement that you do during pre-season, which is effectively what we’ll be doing, and the way you strike a ball. We’d have to go through all that.
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Hide Ad“We’re not soft on players. They’re robust and they’ve all kept fit. If they hadn’t done then, even without the position we’re in, they’d probably need to take a look at themselves.”
Wilder was referring to the fact United were seventh in the table - only five points outside the Champions League qualification positions - when the calendar was suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
They have also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, where they are scheduled to meet Arsenal for a place in the last four of the competition.
“The boys have been putting everything in,” Wilder said. “That’s been great to see, because they’ve had plenty to work on to stay in shape. But that’s what they do these days.”
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