'I don't really' - Chris Wilder makes Sheffield United formation admission ahead of Championship run-in
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has insisted he wants to try and avoid a formation change amid his quest to ensure his side finishes the season as strongly as possible.
Although the Blades are still mathematically in with a chance of securing a play-off spot, their top six hopes are as good as over after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Wrexham at Bramall Lane left them sitting 17th in the Championship table, 13 points behind sixth-placed Southampton with just seven games left to play.
Despite taking the lead against Phil Parkinson’s side, United suffered their third defeat in their last six matches - a run that has seen them win just once. It is a run that has also seen them drop 11 points from winning positions.
With seven games to go, all United can now focus on is trying to finish the season as strongly as they possibly can. They will resume their campaign on the other side of the international break with a Bramall Lane showdown against Swansea City on Good Friday before visiting Bristol City on Easter Monday.
Understandably, Wilder, despite already acknowledging the bulk of the work he believes he needs to oversee will have to wait until the summer, is determined to finish what has ultimately been a disappointing campaign as strongly as possible.
But although he knows there are issues that need ironing out to get United back into a good vein of form, he does not want to rip up his current approach, insisting the 4-2-3-1 formation he has predominantly used recently has the ability to make life difficult for the opposition.
“I have got to have a rethink,” Wilder admitted, speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield. “I don’t really want to change the shape of the team because it works, it opens teams up, and it stops teams from playing which we did.
“We had control of the game for 60 minutes. I am going to have to look at the mentality of the team and see if we have to bring old heads into it whatever.
“The two centre-halves have been pretty good, but I have got to have a look at every situation because I don’t want to go out the backdoor, and that’s not right and I have never done that. Even when we were chasing 100 points, we won the last four games and that has to be the culture and the mentality of the team, but at the moment it isn’t.
“We have to go through things, we have to work hard, there is going to be some downtime for the players in terms of getting away and clearing their heads and hopefully coming back for the last seven games of the season.
“I can assure you it will be foot down in terms of working with the players and trying to find a way. I said in the presser in the week that I think I know what we need to do and how we need to change it.
“I might want to change it quicker if I could, but maybe that might not be the case. We found a way to lose today which is ridiculous.”