Sheffield United: ‘Don’t get bogged down by detail,’ The Blades are warned ahead of Brentford test

Despite predicting Brentford will pose a cerebral rather than physical test, Chris Wilder is encouraging his players to read the game itself, not the game plan, when they face Thomas Frank's side.
Sheffield United's Scott Hogan could face his former club Brentford: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire.Sheffield United's Scott Hogan could face his former club Brentford: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire.
Sheffield United's Scott Hogan could face his former club Brentford: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow's match at Bramall Lane, the Sheffield United manager acknowledged there will be times when the hosts must think for themselves despite spending the weekend working on a strategy to overcome the Londoners.

Reflecting upon Saturday's win over Rotherham, which saw third-placed United remain two points behind the automatic promotion places, Wilder said: "Possibly, we tried to be a bit too precise at times. We moved it about, from side to side, but we were always looking for that second goal because it was a dangerous game. You only need one person to switch off. That was their tactic, and I understand that with 10 men, but perhaps we were a little bit too precise at certain moments."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Brentford, in 13th following their victory at Middlesbrough, were beaten 3-2 when United visited Griffin Park in November. That fixture saw Wilder and his staff change tact on numerous occasions, as their team fell behind early on before being pegged back after taking a 2-1 lead. Leon Clarke, now on loan at Wigan Athletic, stepped-off the bench during the closing stages to score the decisive goal.

"I'll utilise the squad," Wilder said. "We've got a healthy squad and an incredible amount of work and planning goes into that. We've been bold with our decisions and that will continue to be the case."