Sheffield United: Pre-match narrative is becoming mind-numbingly predictable
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Instead, following this week’s disastrous outing against Queens Park Rangers, Paul Heckingbottom found himself back on mind numbingly familiar turf: discussing selection issues, enforced changes and of course injuries.
“I’ve had a gutful of talking about them,” Heckingbottom conceded during today's media briefing. “I’d much rather be talking about games, having the problem of telling good players they’re not going to be involved that weekend. But at the moment, I can’t.”
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Framed purely in terms of the final result, Tuesday’s night’s defeat by Rangers was concerning rather than catastrophic. Not because it saw United surrender their unbeaten record at home, which until Chris Willock’s intervention early in the second-half, stretched all the way back to last season’s play-off semi-finals. Set-backs are inevitable in a division as tight as the Championship.
But United, who nevertheless remained on top of the table by virtue of their plus 13 goal difference, did appear lethargic during the closing stages of the contest. Both physically and mentally, with every substitution stripping even more rhythm from their play. Heckingbottom must find a way, without completely sacrificing the training regime he believes is integral to United’s success, of rejuvenating his players’ bodies and minds before locking horns with Alex Neil’s team.
“I haven’t done a training session for seven weeks, we’re wrapping them in cotton wool,” Heckingbottom said. “We’ve had games Saturday, Tuesday and then a Saturday on top of it all.
“I can’t wait for the time when everyone is back out there, when they’re all involved. Because that is where we’re at.”
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“Genuinely, though, I’d take our performance the other night between now and the end of the season,” he continued. “Particularly first-half. Okay, there were things we should have done better regarding detail. But in terms of effort and application, the boys were up there as usual.”
What actually made the loss to Rangers potentially ruinous was the news that, with Anel Ahmedhodzic, Jack Robinson, Ciaran Clark, Ben Osborn, Enda Stevens, John Fleck, Ismaila Coulibaly, Max Lowe and Jack O’Connell already unavailable ahead of kick-off, George Baldock and Sander Berge had both sustained knocks either side of Willock’s strike. If that wasn’t bad enough, Oli McBurnie rounded off a match Heckingbottom will want to forget in a hurry by receiving his fifth caution of the season following the final whistle.
The in-form centre-forward can be forgiven for being booked during last month’s win over Preston North End, after celebrating a goal in front of his own fans. A truly, all right-minded folk will surely agree, heinous footballing crime. But with his teammates dropping like flies and United’s coaching staff commissioning reports on members of the club’s under-sevens squad should any of those soon be required to plug the gaps in its squad, McBurnie should have thought first and spoken later when he confronted referee James Linington and his assistants to protest about Rangers’ gamesmanship.
Still, if passion really is so important, we can’t have it both ways.
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“Oli knows,” Heckingbottom said. “Jayden (Bogle) was with him when he spoke to the ref and said there wasn't anything untoward. But everyone knows who he is and so he’s maybe got to manage his behaviour.”
Whether they like it or not, United are going to have to get used to opponents stalling for time and ensuring their meetings with Heckingbottom’s side move to exactly the same beat as that Rainbow Rhythms class Mark once joined on Peep Show. If you’re the best team in the competition, which United are right now, then it comes with the territory. Okay, as Heckingbottom complained following the meeting with Rangers, Linington should have produced a card sooner the moment it became apparent every restart was taking an age. But football isn’t exactly known for its moral probity. You can bet your bottom dollar, as soon as the set pieces speeded-up, so the cases of cramp would have gone through the roof too. And Linington and his like would soon be criticised if they waved the action on after mistaking a serious injury for theatrics.
“Call it dark arts, fair enough,” Heckingbottom admitted. “But football has got to deal with it because people pay good money to watch.”
If the evidence of Neil’s previous encounter with United is anything to go by, then Heckingbottom’s patience won’t be tested in Staffordshire. The Scot, who controversially left his position at Sunderland earlier this term in order to take charge of City, instructed the Wearsiders to go after United when they travelled to South Yorkshire only two months ago. Given the problems his former employers caused before being edged out 2-1, it would be a surprise if Neil abandons that ‘up and at ‘em’ strategy this weekend. Particularly as City, ranked 20th, boast home advantage.
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Hide AdGiven the circumstances, coupled with the calibre of the performers they could soon be welcoming back, United should be encouraged by the fact they are the hunted rather than the hunters. The set-back they experienced against Rangers must be placed into context too, given that they had won all but four of their previous 11 outings. Despite the narrative which developed immediately after the fixture, United weren’t way below par all evening either. They shaded the first half on points, if not goals, before unravelling as the second unfolded. Given that Baldock’s departure meant they ended up with a left footed forward operating as a right sided wing-back and three strikers on the pitch too, that was probably inevitable.
Still, Heckingbottom knows that improvements must be made. Rather than being careful, clinical and calculating, United’s work became increasingly emotional as the game wore on. If they encounter the same situation at City, cooler heads are required.
“I’ve watched Stoke’s last couple (of games) and they’ve been different in both,” Heckingbottom noted. “We’ve got to deal with their threats.”