Sheffield United and AFC Bournemouth ploughed the same path but now they appear to be going in different directions

The doom-mongers were already circling. There was no shortage of experts predicting the 52-year-old’s squad of plucky triers would be swallowed whole, chewed-up and spat unceremoniously out by the most competitive division in world football. No matter how long he spent planning, plotting and scheming at the Steelphalt Academy.

But Wilder was convinced that things could be different. And one of the examples he offered, to provide his side with encouragement, was AFC Bournemouth; a team who had shown it was possible for players, many of whom had started life in the lower levels, to establish a foothold among the game’s elite.

“They’ve got lads who have been right the way through the journey with them,” Wilder said at the time. “Lads who have shown it’s possible to do that and compete, properly compete, at the highest level.”

It was interesting, therefore, that after identifying Eddie Howe’s men as a reference point, United found themselves working alongside Bournemouth in Spain soon after reaching the Championship.

Three years ago, visitors to the Marbella Training Centre, a secluded bolthole in one of the resort’s most well-appointed suburbs, will have been able to watch Wilder’s charges being put through their paces on one pitch and Howe’s on another. A tiny terrace was the only thing between them. But the difference in set-ups - Bournemouth, on the cusp of a third top-flight campaign, had travelled with their own private security delegation.

United, meanwhile, helped kitman Carl Hopwood pack away their bibs, balls and cones while then co-owner HRH Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, long before his bitter fall-out with Kevin McCabe, kicked a ball about with a friend on an adjacent patch of grass.

This weekend, when Bournemouth travel to South Yorkshire for a crucial Premier League fixture, Wilder should take a moment to reflect on how much things have changed.

United, only 10 months after climbing out of the second tier, are sixth in the table and eyeing qualification for Europe. Howe, who enjoyed numerous conversations with his counterpart in the Andalusian sunshine, is trying to help Bournemouth win their battle for survival.

That probably explains why Wilder, despite some remarkable results of late, has resisted the temptation to call-out those who claimed United were destined to struggle.

“The minute you relax, and I’m not saying that’s what anyone else has done, that’s when this business has a habit of biting you on the a**e,” he told journalists at one recent press conference. “All you can do is look at the next game and focus on trying to win that.”

But there is little doubt that United, who also faced Bournemouth on the opening weekend of the present campaign, have fared much better than their rivals from Dorset since that 1-1 draw at The Vitality Stadium.

Which begs the question why? Intriguingly, an analysis of statistics surrounding their respective seasons reveals precious little difference between the two. Like United, Bournemouth tend to return a slightly lower possession percentage than the opposition. They also win roughly the same amount of tackles, make the same amount of passes, with the same degree of accuracy, and complete the same amount of challenges in offensive areas.

The only discernible distinction, without drilling too deeply into the figures, is in terms of where their attacks come from and the formations they employ. Bournemouth are loaded on one flank whereas United are more balanced. Howe has also tended to adjust team shape more often and try a number of different set-ups. Wilder, barring the odd occasion towards the end of a match, almost exclusively uses a 3-5-2 or a five at the back.

So the only conclusion one can draw, especially when you note Bournemouth have a habit of moving more laterally, is that United are slightly more direct and simply better at what they do.

Psychology, Wilder’s players after all have grown accustomed to winning, could be crucial too.

“There’s a real honesty to the boys here,” Wilder said. “They want the best for each other and they drive each other on.”

“That attitude, it always gives them a chance. They leave everything out there and that commitment can never be questioned. The same goes for their desire to improve.”

United have maintained that edge with a series of intelligent signings. After Oli McBurnie’s £20m move from Swansea City last summer, Sander Berge became the club’s new record purchase a week ago when he commanded a £22m fee after leaving Genk.

Howe has three former United players at his disposal - Simon Francis, Aaron Ramsdale and David Brooks - but the days when the latter viewed the south coast as a more attractive destination to further his career are, for the time being at least, gone. The fact Lys Mousset, who travelled in the opposition direction shortly before McBurnie, has now scored more league goals for United than he did in three years at Bournemouth further illustrates the shift in the balance of power.

It also, however, has served to remind Wilder about the danger of becoming too comfortable.

“You can’t take anything for granted at this level,” he said, taking care to insist he was talking about United and United alone. “There’s very little between so many teams in the table and one bad run can change the entire picture.

“That’s why the mental aspect is so important. This level is as mentally demanding as it is physically challenging.”

United’s willingness to confront the latter is another factor behind their success so far this term.

Although the final outcome was fair - substitute Billy Sharp’s late equaliser cancelling out Chris Mepham’s opener for the hosts - United initially struggled to loosen Bournemouth’s grip on the midfield during the opening exchanges of their meeting in August. Philip Billing, a towering presence at the heart of Howe’s engine room, caused all manner of problems as he punched holes in the shield in front of their defence.

Barring one trip to Watford, United have never seemed in danger of being overpowered again, as the fact only runaway leaders Liverpool have conceded fewer goals demonstrates.

Berge, technically adept but no shrinking violet himself, has injected further steel into United’s operations. With Jefferson Lerma ruled out through suspension, Billing is unlikely to dominate in the same manner again as 16th placed Bournemouth hope to stretch the two point gap between themselves and the relegation zone.

“All we’re trying to do is get better,” Wilder, who hopes David McGoldrick will return from injury, said. “We’re just looking at ourselves and trying to do what’s right for us. No one else.”