'I know Chris Wilder very well and he'll make sure Sheffield United do one thing at Sheffield Wednesday'
Sheffield United looked ‘lethargic’ in midweek but need no extra motivation for Sunday’s Steel City derby.
One of Chris Wilder’s former players expects him to get Sheffield United back ‘firing’ this weekend following a disappointing midweek result.
United were held to a 1-1 draw by play-off hopefuls Bristol City on Tuesday night, with two points dropped made worse by the fact they were ahead going into the 90th minute. Tyrese Campbell looked to have scored the winner midway through the second half but his effort was eventually cancelled out by Mark Sykes, with a point only good enough to send the Blades top of the Championship for 24 hours until Leeds United beat Millwall.
Wilder readily admitted his side looked ‘lethargic’ on Tuesday and a similar performance at Hillsborough could see United fall further behind in the promotion race while also dropping points at their Steel City rivals. But former defender Tommy Smith, who was signed by the Blades boss during his spell at Middlesbrough, expects an injection of energy ahead of Sunday’s all-important trip to Hillsborough.
United ‘firing’ for derby
“We’re at that stage of the season, and experience counts for a hell of a lot,” Smith told Football Daily’s 72+ podcast. “You've got three managers at the respective clubs who have all been around promotion races before.
“One thing I like and admire about Chris Wilder enormously is how honest he is in his assessment. I watched the game last night and Bristol were good, they played well and deserved to get a point, and Chris’ comments after the game, he echoed that. He knows his team weren’t at their best.
“I know Chris very well and one thing he’ll have them doing, one thing is for sure that in the next game he’ll have them firing again because he knows what promotion is about. He's had several in his career but Scott Parker and Burnley and Daniel Farke at Leeds have both been around it. It really is going to make for an interesting run-in.”
Wilder challenge assessed
Wilder’s admission that United looked ‘lethargic’ will be a slight concern going into Sunday, given the quick turnaround from a clash in which they had to fight right until the end. But the Blades boss was able to rotate a few key players midweek and has the depth to make changes without losing too much quality, something former midfielder Jobi McAnuff believes should help them through the final nine games.
“That’s the challenge of management, trying to assess that level of fatigue,” McAnuff added. “But what I will say about Sheffield United is you look at their squad and ultimately this is why those teams are where they are, because they're able to deal with a downside in performance. The players they can bring in, I know Wilder said they looked tired but you see the players they had on the bench to change it; Rhian Brewster, Gus Hamer, [Anel] Ahmedhodzic, players that walk into most other Championship teams.
“That's the challenge for a manager now, ‘when do I change the team? Do I need to freshen it up? Do I keep it the same to try to get momentum?’ You do get those games where you're just not at it for whatever reason and it's just about making sure you don't lose. The fact they conceded so late will be a big blow.”