“I’ve Said All Along…” – Sheffield United Chief Reaffirms Current Objective Ahead of Wolves Clash
Sheffield United return to Bramall Lane on Sunday lunchtime when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to South Yorkshire in the EFL Championship.
The Blades head into the contest full of confidence after securing a hard-fought 2-1 comeback victory away at Blackburn Rovers in midweek.
Chris Wilder’s side had to show plenty of character at Ewood Park, with Sydie Peck playing a major role in turning the game around. The midfielder was heavily involved in United’s response after Blackburn took the lead, helping the Blades claim another valuable three points.
Attention now turns towards a Wolves side who arrive at Bramall Lane having played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Birmingham City last weekend. The visitors have conceded six goals across their last two Championship matches, but they have also found the net four times during that spell.
As a result, Wolves have quickly established themselves as one of the division’s most entertaining sides in the early stages of the campaign, although their defensive vulnerabilities will give United encouragement heading into Sunday’s clash.
Wilder Facing Selection Dilemma
Wilder continues to deal with a depleted squad, with several members of his first-team group still unavailable. Tahith Chong, Ryan Oné and Femi Seriki are all expected to be edging closer to a return after the upcoming international break, meaning the Blades boss will once again have to carefully manage his available players against Wolves.
Kalvin Phillips is also continuing to build up his fitness as he looks to push towards his first league start for United.
With just three days between the Blackburn victory and Sunday’s fixture, Wilder admitted that changes could be forced upon him as he assesses players carrying minor knocks.
“It’s a contact sport, so there’s the physical aspect we’ll never shy away from,” Wilder explained in his pre-match press conference. “We expect everybody to put their bodies on the line. That’s something that underpins our football club. We want to see people run around, we want to see players compete.
“But when you do that, you’ve got everything on the line and you pick up the consequences of those challenges.
“There are players that have come through the game with knocks and we’ve had three days since Blackburn. A slight change in our schedule, a three-day lead-up.”
“I’ve said all along that getting through to Stoke and after Stoke is the target,” Wilder added. “Then the players will have some time off and we’ll have a couple of weeks to work with the players. But in that period, getting through to Stoke, competing, getting some points up is the biggest target for me.”
Jordan Ayew Set For Involvement
One major boost for Wilder is the arrival of Jordan Ayew, who joined the Blades with a wealth of experience at both club and international level. The Ghana international boasts more than 100 caps for his country and has spent the vast majority of his career playing at the highest level.
Wilder confirmed that Ayew will be involved against Wolves, after being an unused sub last weekend, and after impressing during his first few days around the squad.
“Signing Jordan is not just his level of experience, the level that he’s played at for the majority of his career,” Wilder said. “It wasn’t that long ago that he was captain of his country again in the World Cup against England.
“100-plus caps, his availability record is just incredible. He’s a top pro, so he’s looked after himself in the summer and we’ve had two or three days to get our eyes on him. We’re delighted physically where he’s at and he’ll definitely be involved.”
Sheffield United will be looking to make a statement performance and result at Bramall Lane on Sunday against arguably the strongest squad in the entire division in Wolverhampton Wanderers.
