Punk Blade
Active Member
Usually, nobody likes defending. Ok, maybe goalkeepers and centre backs whose sole job it is to defend will have to like it to some degree, but players like to have the ball and pass, dribble and shoot, managers like to see their team on the front foot, and fans just want to see their team score goals. the opposition having the ball and trying to mount an attack can leave everyone’s nerves jangling and make some players, particularly attackers, switch off or get lazy.
But not this team. The players absolutely revel in defending, and that’s everyone on the pitch. Obviously Egan, Bash and JOC all love to block shots and win headers, but because our success is built on our defensive strength everyone takes pride and pleasure in doing their job without the ball. And they all know exactly what that job is. We look like we train not just to be good players and play a role, but so that to a man we all know exactly what we should be doing at every moment with or without the ball. The joy for the players comes from winning as a team by doing your job and backing up your mates, not by being a superstar and taking individual plaudits. Our strikers love defending and seeing their teammates score goals. Imagine that.
How about the management? Wilder always talks about shape. Yeah we play good stuff on the ball, but to him performances first come from our work without the ball. We get the shape right and we don’t give away chances. He is perfectly happy watching his team defend.
And the fans? For three-quarters of the game yesterday we had to watch us not have the ball, and I absolutely loved it. The concentration, the discipline, the work rate, the effective blocks, clearances, pressing are all great to watch. I genuinely find us entertaining to watch without the ball, and I was never nervous about how much possession Chelsea had or how deep we were at times. Our standards never dropped, and it was a defensive masterclass. I think a quote from the commentary was something like ‘Sheffield United are great at defending but that doesn’t make them a defensive team’.
But not this team. The players absolutely revel in defending, and that’s everyone on the pitch. Obviously Egan, Bash and JOC all love to block shots and win headers, but because our success is built on our defensive strength everyone takes pride and pleasure in doing their job without the ball. And they all know exactly what that job is. We look like we train not just to be good players and play a role, but so that to a man we all know exactly what we should be doing at every moment with or without the ball. The joy for the players comes from winning as a team by doing your job and backing up your mates, not by being a superstar and taking individual plaudits. Our strikers love defending and seeing their teammates score goals. Imagine that.
How about the management? Wilder always talks about shape. Yeah we play good stuff on the ball, but to him performances first come from our work without the ball. We get the shape right and we don’t give away chances. He is perfectly happy watching his team defend.
And the fans? For three-quarters of the game yesterday we had to watch us not have the ball, and I absolutely loved it. The concentration, the discipline, the work rate, the effective blocks, clearances, pressing are all great to watch. I genuinely find us entertaining to watch without the ball, and I was never nervous about how much possession Chelsea had or how deep we were at times. Our standards never dropped, and it was a defensive masterclass. I think a quote from the commentary was something like ‘Sheffield United are great at defending but that doesn’t make them a defensive team’.
