“We do...” - Sheffield United man lifts lid on demanding dressing room with Blades needing more after break
Sheffield United captain Japhet Tanganga has lifted the lid on a dressing room where players are not afraid to challenge each other as the Blades use the current international break to improve.
Sheffield United captain Japhet Tanganga has lifted the lid on life inside the Bramall Lane dressing room, insisting that he and his teammates are not afraid to challenge each other when their standards drop. The Blades are currently hard at work at Shirecliffe over the international break.
Their season so far has been underwhelming, with United going into the extended break sitting 18th in the table and a run of four defeats in their last five games in all competitions increasing a sense of frustration amongst the fanbase.
This hiatus has long been targeted as a key milestone in the Blades’ season, offering them a triple threat opportunity to get some key players back, get others up to speed and also work tactically on a way out of their current slump.
United’s players also had a period of rest in the first week of the break, with a relentless run of fixtures stretching their squad further in an unforgiving schedule of three-game weeks. “It is tough,” Tanganga said.
“But that’s what we're paid to do. That's what we're here for. And that's what we were dreaming of doing, when we were young. All we always wanted to do was play football week in, week out. And it's what we've got to keep doing until we hang up our boots.”
Criticism of both United’s players and boss Chris Wilder only grew after a 2-1 loss at Stoke before the international break, their third defeat in less than a week and just days after they tumbled out of the League Cup with a shocking display at Fleetwood Town.
“After that game, even before the gaffer came in and spoke to us, we as players said a few things and we knew instantly that it wasn’t good enough,” Tanganga said. “We are a group that demand from each other.
“We do get onto each other when things aren't right, when training's not right. When, in games, we're not doing the right things and stuff. We do get onto each other, and that’s important I think.
“There are leaders here and when things aren’t going right, we will say something to each other. We're not afraid, but we are so close as a group that no one takes it personal. What's said is said and when it's done, it's done. We shake hands and we move on to the next.”
That will be particularly important as United use the international break as an opportunity to work on the areas where they can get better. “I think every area, we can improve,” Tanganga said.
“The first three games of the season, from Mansfield, to Birmingham, to Swansea, we kept three clean sheets in a row. And since then, we haven't done that. So that's an area that we can improve.
“We’ve scored goals, but then there's always room for improvement where we can score more goals. I think the main thing is just that we're constantly improving. Having the same goal about what we want to achieve, and just looking in that direction.”