Why the fixture calendar should provide Sheffield United with some encouragement ahead of meetings with Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea

“There are no free hits in this competition,” he reminded following last weekend’s draw with Fulham. Especially not, he resisted the temptation to add, when your next three assignments are against Manchester City, Chelsea and of course the reigning Premier League champions.

But the tactical principles United have adhered to assiduously throughout much of Wilder’s reign could be getting tweaked, albeit ever so slightly, during training at the Steelphalt Academy. It will not have escaped Wilder’s notice that their next opponents will be entering the fixture on the back of a Champions League tie - the same as Pep Guardiola’s side and this summer’s big-spenders from west London.

Jurgen Klopp, Wilder’s counterpart at Anfield, demands his men employ the highest of high presses - a ploy designed to see them win possession high up the pitch and use their attacking firepower to good effect. But it also places huge physical demands on those tasked with carrying out Klopp’s demands, meaning he could be forced to change personnel for the clash with United following tonight’s tie against Ajax. Either way, with Klopp’s room for manoeuvre at the back limited by an injury to Virgil van Dijk, United are likely to try and exploit any fatigue in Liverpool’s limbs following their appearance at the Amsterdam Arena by becoming even more forceful in the attacking third themselves. The same applies when they face City and Chelsea, who will be entering their clashes with United on the back of contests against Marseille and Rennes respectively. At this early stage of the tournament, Klopp, Guardiola and Frank Lamprad are all likely to frontload their selections, given the importance their respective boards place on European success.

“We’ll be preparing (for Liverpool) in exactly the same way we do for every other (match),” Wilder said following the game against Fulham, which saw United register their first point of the new campaign. “We know what we want to do and we’ll be trying to do it. There are always things we are working on.”

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