Manager Chris Wilder reveals his latest new trick in the search for a solution to Sheffield United's Premier League problems

They weren’t transfer targets. Those, with the January window fast approaching, had long since been identified and delivered to the Bramall Lane board. Instead, the list he compiled was designed to be a prompt. It detailed a number of documentaries Wilder had made a mental note to watch as, with United making a troubled start to the new Premier League season, the search for solutions to their problems began to widen.

“I’ve been taking in quite a few of them,” he said, “All different types. A lot of them are about football but plenty of them aren’t. You can learn something from all of them, seeing how different people or teams have dealt with different situations. We’ve obviously got our own ideas too, but it’s always good to get a different perspective on things and then think about how you can apply it here.”

On Sunday, when Leicester City arrive in South Yorkshire for a vitally important game, Wilder hopes to put some of the information he harvested during those long hours spent in front of a television screen to good effect. Still without a win this term, and having been beaten for the ninth time in 10 outings at West Bromwich Albion last weekend, United will enter their meeting with Brendan Rodgers’ side at the bottom of the table, low on confidence and even lower on points.

By his own admission, not everything Wilder gleaned from the shows he selected was particularly pleasant. One, chronicling Manchester City’s journey to the 2018 title, provided a sobering reminder about the money and the tools placed at Pep Guardiola’s disposal to cultivate a team of serial champions. But others, particularly those about figures from other disciplines, made compelling viewing. One, although Wilder neglected to reveal the title, charted how a struggling boxer overcame adversity to reach the pinnacle - and then stay there - of his chosen sport. The contents, Wilder confessed, are particularly relevant as United’s squad prepares for what threatens to be a long, gruelling and at times mentally draining survival battle.

“We know we are massively up against it, being in this division,” he said. “We knew that anyway, even when we did so well last year, we knew that.

“One of the documentaries was about Manchester City and, to be honest, I’m not sure I should have done it because it just rammed home how they are on a different level.”

Despite operating in a different stratosphere, one which contains the biggest transfer budgets, best internationals and most lavish operational support structures, Wilder has told his players they should take heart from the fact City only beat them 1-0 earlier this season. Seven days earlier, reigning champions Liverpool edged past United 2-1 at Anfield. The fact all but one of their losses since September have been by a single goal has convinced Wilder there is hope for his men.

“There’s things we can’t control but there’s things we can, such as taking a few more risks around the final third and being better at set plays,” he continued. “I can’t affect other people’s opinions and, to be honest, I’m not bothered about affecting them. I’m bothered about us. We’ve not looked at it through rose tinted glasses but we are still seeing plenty of really positive things.”

After the high of last season, when they finished ninth in the table after being promoted, United’s downturn in form has affected every part of Wilder’s life. The privilege of managing the club he once played for and has followed since childhood comes at a price. The same, Wilder acknowledged ahead of Leicester’s visit, goes for those closest to him as he looks for ways to help his team rediscover their form and alleviate some of the pressure which, on the evidence of Saturday’s performance at The Hawthorns, is weighing heavily on their shoulders. Despite creating enough chances to win two games of football - let alone one - Wilder attributed United’s failure to take any to stress and anxiety.

“I just take it home with me, even though I try not to, and take it out on the people there, so they are the ones you need to feel sorry for, not me,” he joked. “Seriously, though, I think about this club, how to try and make us better and how to help the lads try and get what I believe they deserve more than anything else. It’s pretty much every waking hour, but that’s the job.”

Personnel and subtle positional adjustments are among the things Wilder is considering to try and ensure United gain a positive result against opponents who travel north in fourth but hoping to avoid a third straight defeat. After being beaten by Fulham, who drew with United earlier this term, a much changed City line-up lost to Zorya in the Europa League on Thursday. Jamie Vardy, James Maddison and Kasper Schmeichel all sat out the match in Ukraine.

“I believe in these lads and we’ll get there,” Wilder said. “We believe in what we’re doing and, if you look at the performances, if we carry those on but get better in certain aspects, such as our finishing, the boys will start getting what I think they should.”

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