Sheffield United leapfrogged promotion rivals Leeds United in the Championship over the weekend.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has admitted that he ‘nearly’ did what Leeds United boss Marcel Bielsa does and that was substitute one of his players early during his side’s 1-0 at Elland Road on Saturday.
Centre-back Chris Basham was played further forward than usual by his manager, so the Blades could have more defensive stability against their attack-minded promotion rivals.
It is fair to say that Basham, along with his teammates, struggled to live with Leeds’ pace early on in the game, which could have forced Wilder to make a change.
Speaking to EFL on Quest (16/03/2019 9:20 pm), Wilder spoke about Basham, who ended up scoring the only goal of the game for his side.
“I think Chris Basham was delighted to get to half time without being dragged off,” Wilder chuckled to Quest. “I nearly did what the Leeds United manager does after 25 minutes. I think that sort of epitomises what our group is about really, he comes up and gets a winner.”
Throughout this campaign, Bielsa has constantly changed personnel at half-time regardless of the score and how the players are performing.
It is largely down to the fact that he wants his players to be able to cope with the extremely high intensity and energy he likes his players to play with.
Nonetheless, Wilder will be pleased that he stuck to his guns because Basham was in the right place at the right time to slot home Billy Sharp’s well-timed pass in the second half.
As a result of those points, the Blades moved second in the Championship table, one point ahead of Bielsa’s side, who drop into the play-offs with eight games of the season remaining.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
