Chris Wilder was in a bad mood. That Saturday afternoon in late August 2019, which was the third day of the Premier League, promoted Sheffield United had lost 1: 2 to Leicester City at Bramall Lane at home. Not really a big deal, especially since Sheffield had a solid start to the season with four points from the first two games. The fans had seen a dedicated performance from their team, so they applauded when the players stomped towards the cabin. United coach Wilder, however, did not want to know anything about it. “I don’t understand why the applause deserves it,” he said in an interview. That his team had worked hard was probably the least. “Thanks for the effort” – no, that was not for him. “There is a lot we have to work on.” A week later, Sheffield scored 2-2 against Chelsea.
A year later – the season is dragging on due to the Corona interruption – Sheffield United is seventh in the Premier League table ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. The promoted player has three games before the end of the season to qualify for the European Cup. It would be the first time in 131 years since the club was founded. The other promoters, Aston Villa and Norwich City, are bobbing in the penultimate and last place – Norwich is already certain as relegated. Many observers believe that Sheffield essentially started the season with a squad that would be better off in England’s second division. At € 120 million, the team’s combined market value is the lowest of all Premier League clubs. The Liverpool FC squad is worth about eight times.
Chris Wilder is not a lousy Peter. He can also praise. After his team won the return game against Chelsea 3-0 last weekend, he said: “That was a really good performance”, slowed down and immediately limited: “It had to be – we were pretty close to our maximum.” The 52-year-old has been in office since May 2016 and has since led the club from the third division to England’s top division. He was born in Stocksbridge near Sheffield and was already a player for United, even though during his career he was mostly sold and lent across the country in the substructure of English football.
Four years to turn a crumbling third division club into a European contender. The man who basically wears tracksuits at games and who supposedly has the club crest tattooed on his skin has achieved great things with his club. In 2019 he was voted England coach of the year. The “BBC” called him a “master of psychology”. But Wilder is more than “just” a motivator and more than “just” a figure of identification for the fans that you run into in the pub. He is considered a painter and clever tactician who prepares his team for every opponent down to the last detail. He allegedly distributes folders with information about individual opponents or opposing moves.
Squad almost exclusively from British and Irish
A lot has been written this season about his central defenders, who overrun the midfield left and right in their own attacks in the style of full-backs to outnumber the wings. The discipline and organization of the team required for this is the result of Wilders’ tight training leadership. His assistant coach Alan Knill once called him a born manager: “He wants to organize everything. If there were a bunch of tables and chairs in a room, he would align them to be right. ”With 33 goals conceded in 35 games, Sheffield United is the second best defense in the Premier League, only Liverpool have conceded fewer goals.
Wilders squad consists almost entirely of British and Irish. Only four players come from further afield: from Holland, Norway and France. The most expensive entry in the club’s history is the 22-year-old Sander Berge, who switched from KRC Genk to Sheffield in winter for 21.5 million euros. Berge told the Guardian at the beginning of July: “I’ve been to clubs that work hard and are humble, and that’s even more the case here. It’s by far the best cabin I’ve ever been in. ”Wilder told the midfielder to be more flexible on the offensive, rather than just launching attacks and then staying in place. “Maybe that got the best out of me.”
The signing of Chris Wilder was a stroke of luck for the then co-owner of Sheffield United, Kevin McCabe. After years of litigation over sole ownership, the club now belongs to Prince Abdullah, a member of the royal family of Saudi Arabia. It was recently announced that the club is now the owner of the Bramall Lane stadium and the associated infrastructure. Abdullah spoke of an “important step” for the development of the club. The local news portal “Yorkshire Live” then wrote: “Chris Wilder’s efforts and vision to put the club in a position he had never been before matches that of the man above him.” This Thursday (7pm at Sky) Sheffield United is a guest at Leicester City. The team has Europe in mind, Chris Wilder an open bill from the first leg. You have to earn applause.
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