Would Miami make Sheffield United great again? Breaking down Blades 0 West Ham 1

He studied documentaries. He conducted a review of their tactics. And, in an attempt to replenish the confidence of his embattled squad, tasked Bramall Lane’s video technicians with putting together a showreel of its finest moments.

But after watching Sebastian Haller fire West Ham to victory and condemn United to an eighth defeat in nine outings, Wilder discovered the answer over a post-match pint in his office with David Moyes.

“He told me to hire a jumbo jet, take the players to Miami, and not think too deeply about things,” the United manager said, revealing details of the conversation he shared with his opposite number. “He told me ‘Don’t look at it too tactically, don’t think about it too deeply, because your players have given you everything and there’s not a lot wrong with them.’

“Every experience you have is relevant. Every situation you go through, you can take something from. So to hear him tell me that, it actually felt really good. I’ll be getting on to the owners now, to see if we can make it happen.”

Haller’s finish was every bit as brilliant as you would expect from a marksman who cost £45m and is paid more than £120,000 a week - punishing a rare lapse in concentration from a United defence which restricted the Londoners, who ended the game in eighth, to only three shots on target all afternoon.

The hosts mustered more, which should provide them with some much needed encouragement as they prepare for Saturday’s potentially pivotal trip to fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion.

Yet, as Wilder confessed afterwards, the only statistic which matters is the final result and United desperately need a positive one at The Hawthorns.

“I look at everything we can do, as you can imagine,” Wilder continued, insisting “nobody would have been surprised” if a contest every bit as tight as the scoreline would suggest, “had finished 1-0” to United.

“But sitting down with someone like David, an LMA winning manager on several occasions, and hearing him tell me there’s not much wrong with my side, that gives me a lot of hope and belief going forward.”

“I was actually pleased with that performance,” he added. “There was very little in the game. They had openings and we had openings. The only difference was, they came up with that real bit of quality we couldn’t quite find.”

COMPLEX ISSUES BUT ONE BIG WEAKNESS

Plenty of factors have contributed to United’s poor run this term, with injuries featuring prominently among them. So it was typical, following Wilder’s admission that luck has deserted his team on the fitness front, to see the boost provided by John Fleck’s return after a lengthy absence tempered by the loss of Enda Stevens and later Ethan Ampadu.

At least John Egan, a commanding presence at the heart of United’s rearguard, was granted permission to feature despite receiving a painful blow to the head on international duty with the Republic of Ireland.

Their biggest weakness, however, has been creating precious few chances and then failing to take those which do come their way.

This flaw in United’s make-up was again in evidence during the opening period of this contest with both Oli McBurnie and George Baldock guilty of not testing Lukasz Fabianski enough after finding themselves bearing down on goal. At the other end of the pitch, only a fine save from Aaron Ramsdale prevented Vladimir Coufals from punishing United’s profligacy when Jarrod Bowen’s pass split their defence.

“I thought the attitude was good, I thought a lot of the things we did were good,” Wilder said. “That wasn’t decided in systems or anything like that. It was decided by one bit of quality.”

HALLER SHOWS THE WAY

United’s wastefulness initially appeared to be contagious, with Tomas Soucek guilty of an even more extravagant miss than his fellow Czech towards the end of a first-half. Wilder, who had earlier seen Baldock and McBurnie shoot straight at Fabianski after being released by Chris Basham, held his head in his hands when Soucek found himself in possession and unmarked on the edge of the six yard box.

A second later, it was Moyes’ turn to suffer after watching the former Slavia Prague midfielder get his angles horribly wrong. But nine minutes after the interval, Wilder’s counterpart was left punching the air in delight when Haller displayed a much better grasp of geometry - expertly and emphatically steering a thunderous drive beyond the despairing Ramsdale.

“His self-belief is much better now,” Moyes said. “I thought his all-round game was excellent and his goal, of course, was brilliant.”

“Overall, whatever people say about Sheffield United’s record, they don’t concede many goals,” he added. “So it was important we made the most of whatever came our way. The biggest thing for me, is that the players have got a good spirit and are improving all the time.”

Haller was, as Moyes insisted, a dominant force for the visitors. But so too was Declan Rice, who oozed class and composure in West Ham’s midfield before glancing the woodwork as they looked to press home their advantage.

“Jack Grealish got a lot of praise, and quite rightly so, for what he’s done for England recently,” Moyes conceded. “But I thought more should have gone to Declan for his work too. So I’m going to bring that to people’s attention, which hopefully I don’t need to do.”

OLI McBURNIE – PERSEVERANCE BUT NO PRIZES

McBurnie has found himself under the spotlight in recent weeks, albeit for different reasons, with criticism of his finishing mounting on both the domestic and the international stage. But what the Scotland striker lacks in pure ruthlessness, he makes up for with sheer persistence and, after seeing Fabianski parry his earlier attempt clear, only an acrobatic save from the Pole prevented him from edging United in front just before the interval.

Arching his back to meet another Baldock centre, his header appeared destined to reach the back of the net until Fabianski, flying through the air, palmed it to safety. Unfortunately, after escaping his marker late on, McBurnie provided his detractors with more ammunition when he beat the Pole but not the crossbar after escaping the clutches of West Ham’s defence.

“It’s just a little bit more belief and confidence in the play of some individuals,” Wilder said, refusing to blame the 24-year-old for United’s demise. “I accept and appreciate that comes with the territory, because of the results we’ve had. But we’ll stick our chests out and battle through.”

MISSES CHANGE THE MOOD

From that moment on, United faded as an attacking force as their work became increasingly rushed, fractious and anxious. Wilder changed personnel and shape, introducing Rhian Brewster and John Lundstram after replacing Ampadu with Jack Robinson, but to no avail. Lys Mousset, now recovered from the foot complaint he sustained during pre-season, could provide United with the firepower they desperately require in order to win what looks like being a long and gruelling battle for survival.

Ensuring the Frenchman is fit enough to play at least some part against Slaven Bilic’s men must now be one of Wilder’s top priorities.

“Lys will definitely be involved next time out,” Wilder said, acknowledging Sharp had been omitted for tactical reasons rather than because of a knock. “His first day of proper training came just a little bit too late.”

“We’ll get there,” he added. “Like David says, we’re not far away.”