Chris Wilder exclusive interview: Sheffield United manager on the ‘simplistic’ components behind the Blades’ mean defensive record | Football News

Sheffield United’s defensive record this season has been exquisite. 

Not quite as exquisite as that of promotion rivals Burnley – who have conceded a freakishly impressive nine in 28 games – but 18 goals shipped in 28 games is exquisite all the same. The third best in the top four divisions of English football, in fact.

What makes it all the more satisfying for the Blades and their fans is that it comes after a season where they set Premier League records for all the wrong reasons.

It is their name that sits in the history books alongside the records for most goals conceded in a season (104), the most goals conceded at home in a season (57), the worst goal difference at home (-38) and the worst goal difference (-69, joint with Derby in 2007/08).

Friday 24th January 7:30pm


Kick off 8:00pm

Sky Sports‘ Dan Long spares Chris Wilder a reminder of the grisly numbers of last term as the pair chat over Zoom – but the Blades boss winces as he is asked how much the manner of the relegation hurt. “Oh, please don’t!”

He is promised the conversation will take a positive course thereafter.

“I was delighted when we were 5-0 down at half-time to Arsenal. It was a great feeling,” he says in jest.

“When they’re just running over the top of us, and 4-0 down after 20 minutes to Villa and Brighton and stuff like that. Oh it’s painful.

“But when you’re living it, game in, game out and you see the ruthlessness of the division and how teams find those moments of quality, that makes it the best division in the world – and you get exposed when you’re not good enough.

“It’s a difficult place to be, quite a lonely place to be for a manager as well. But I’ve been in the game long enough to know that wasn’t going to last forever and we needed a reset in the summer.”

As part of the reset, the backline changed – almost completely – in the summer. “A clean sweep,” as Wilder puts it.

A back six of Wes Foderingham, Jayden Bogle, Anel Ahmedhodzic, Auston Trusty, Jack Robinson and Max Lowe on the final day of the 2023/24 season became a back five of Michael Cooper, Alfie Gilchrist, Harry Souttar, Ahmedhodzic and Harrison Burrows for the 1-0 win over Watford in the first game after the closure of the summer transfer window.

Bogle and Trusty were sold to Leeds and Celtic respectively, Lowe joined Steel City rivals Sheffield Wednesday on a free and Foderingham did the same at West Ham.

The style of play is different, too, with a back four used almost exclusively.

“We never designed our group to be a counter-attacking team sitting in and hitting people on the break; we want to control possession and we want to create chances,” Wilder says.

“I don’t think it’s old school, I just think it’s right school that you have to get both sides of the game right and out of possession, we’ve had to nail it to give ourselves the opportunity of winning games, which we are.

“Of course, we understand different levels that we’re playing in and we don’t get punished as harshly in this division as you do in the Premier League. We’re still proud of the work that goes on and we need to keep that going.

“There’s a lot of people that were expecting us to go through the Championship and maybe end up in League One, where we were a few years ago, so to arrest that slide and get the feel-good factor back into the football club, start winning games of football has been positive, not just for me or the coaches or the players, but most importantly, for the supporters.

“They’ve seen a team that plays with passion, plays with commitment and pride and personality and plays with structure as well, which I’m sure they’re delighted to see.”

Even if there was one, Wilder is not the sort of man who would divulge the secret to the success of the first 28 games of the season.

But he does have his key ingredients, so to speak; the foundations on which everything is built.

“You need an attitude to be a team player,” he continues. “Everybody’s got a job to do, whether it’s recovering wingers, forwards getting back into a solid, compact shape, midfield players’ recovery runs, set-plays against – and just a general attitude to keep the ball out of the back of the net.

“It is a pretty simplistic way of putting it, but sometimes it does come down to that. What’s your attitude like in training? If it’s a small-sided game, do you want to win? Do you want to keep the ball out the back of the net? Do you want to make that recovery run? Do you want to make that tackle? Do you want to make that block?

“If you’ve got that attitude inside you, then you give yourself an opportunity of winning games of football.

“We’re not gung-ho, we don’t want it to be a game of basketball. There’s times where we get put on the back foot that we have to deal with, and we want to go and punish teams as well.

“I don’t think there’s any secret to it. You want to be the best at what you want to do. You want to be the best at set plays. I heard Mikel Arteta talk about it; they want to be the best team for counter-attacks, transitions, defending, attacking, xG – that’s what you’re trying to aim for.

“The attitude of the players and their acceptance and enthusiasm to take on board stuff individually to be better and as a team is always a great asset to have. We’ve got players that want to be better individually and hopefully that brings us to be a better team overall.

“Behind it all, you need a goalkeeper that can make a big save and certainly Michael (Cooper) has done that this season when called upon, which is crucial.

“We had Dean Henderson here, and I talk a lot about Dean with a lot of fondness. From a character point of view, he’s a completely different character to Michael, but what Michael is doing now is what Dean did for us in that season [promotion from the Championship in 2018/19].

“There’s still a long way to go, a lot of work still to be done, but we’re in a great place.”

Watford and Preston jointly hold the record for the fewest goals conceded in a Championship season; the Hornets conceded only 30 goals in 46 games during their 2020/21 promotion campaign, which equates to just 0.65 goals per game. North End did the same in 2005/06, before they eventually lost to Leeds in the play-off semi-finals.

The Blades are currently averaging 0.68 per game, but Burnley are on course to smash the record with just 0.32 per game at present.

Regardless, it is not on Wilder’s radar.

“That’s one for you to enjoy!” he replies. “You look back at how many points you need to get into the play-offs; last year, we know three teams got over 90 points, which is an incredible feat.

“Sometimes you see and set that you need to maybe score over 75 and you need to concede under 45 if you want a successful season, so we’re on track to hopefully have a good season, but you never know.

“There are lots of tight games in there and you need a bit of luck at times, but you need players to make big decisions and sometimes one is enough to win a game of football.

“From a manager’s point of view, you’d like it to be a little bit more comfortable at times, but just getting over the line at times is key. Sometimes we enjoy the gritty 1-0s just as much as the free-flowing 2-0s or 3-0s that you might have in a season.

“You’ve just got to keep your head down and go from game to game and, along the way, if we can keep nudging these up and improving these numbers on all fronts, then through the season, we’re going to try and improve. That’s got to be the big ambition and the big aim.”

The main aim, naturally, is automatic promotion. Wilder has taken the Blades out of League One and the Championship before, and would not say no to another promotion.

Five points separate the top four – Leeds, Sheffield United, Burnley and Sunderland – ahead of Friday night’s match, but Wilder is wary more could join the race.

“We get judged on winning games of football, so we have to win games of football,” he says.

“I’ve got to say, I think there’s other clubs involved in the mix as well that can come from nowhere. Some of these clubs can go and win six, seven, eight games on the spin and, all of a sudden, the landscape dramatically changes for those teams.

“Of course, you enjoy the position because it means you’re doing something right, the players are doing something right and we’re winning games of football, so we want to keep that going.

“We worked hard to get into this position and we have to embrace it. You can’t hide away from it, it’s everywhere. Whenever you turn the TV on, go online or whatever, it’s there. We have to embrace it and definitely enjoy it.”