Why Sheffield United aren't yet putting full focus on play-offs after squad, mentality hints
Sheffield United preparing for play-off campaign - but not yet fully
The official end of Sheffield United’s faint automatic promotion hopes on Monday evening brought inevitable disappointment but at least the Blades now have total clarity about what they have to do to regain their place in the Premier League next term. Chris Wilder’s side can now begin preparations for another play-off campaign - even if full focus has not turned to the end-of-season shootout just yet.
Ordinarily Wilder could be forgiven for allowing a few of his players to put their feet up in the final two games of the regular campaign, starting with this Friday’s trip to Stoke City. But he has the conundrum of needing his side to regain some momentum ahead of the play-offs, with Monday’s defeat to Burnley their fourth in five games.
It was the first three, against Oxford United, Millwall and then Plymouth Argyle, that really cost his side, rather than Monday’s reverse at Turf Moor, but the Blades will be desperate not to limp into the play-offs on the back of more patchy form.
If the season ended today then it would be Coventry City in store for the Blades in a two-legged play-off semi-final, just a matter of weeks since United beat Frank Lampard’s side at Bramall Lane with one of their best performances of the season. But a host of clubs, including Millwall and Middlesbrough, will look to take sixth spot across the final two games while United focus on a target of surpassing the 90-point barrier.
“We’ll know a little bit more now, in terms of doing our research and analysis on the teams that we potentially can play,” said Wilder. “But I want to go and get 90-odd points, and that has got to be the target. I’ve got to protect a few players as well.
“There are players who really shouldn’t have played tonight, and ones that could only really do a certain amount of minutes, which has been an issue for us all all season. That’s why we’ve had to change the team around. We can’t start feeling sorry for ourselves.
“I don’t think people expect me to, and the coaches and the players. We’ve got to raise ourselves, they’ve got to lift themselves and go again. It’s part and parcel of football. We’ve fell just a little bit short, but we haven’t disgraced ourselves. We haven’t let anybody down and hopefully the majority of the supporters will see that, and back us in the play-off games.
Sheffield United not fully focusing on play-offs just yet after Burnley defeat
“If we get the better of four 45 minutes in the play-offs, we have a return trip to Wembley. But first and foremost it’s about getting ourselves right for Stoke on Friday night, and finishing the season on high.”
Stoke go into Friday night’s clash on the back of a 6-0 hammering at Leeds United on Monday, which put Daniel Farke’s side on the brink of promotion before United’s defeat at Burnley confirmed they would be playing top-flight football again next season.
Meanwhile, United’s promising group of U21s sealed their league title yesterday for the remarkable fifth season in a row, after a 3-0 win over Colchester United at Bramall Lane. Andre Brooks and Alfie Gilchrist were amongst the first-team players involved, while Ryan One was on the scoresheet.