Chris Wilder on Sheffield United's 2-0 win over Norwich City

The Star, Sheffield

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00:00I thought it was good against a team pretty similar to us, missing some players, but on

00:10a decent run as well. So, a dangerous game for us, some good players. But I thought we

00:17got everything right, pretty much so. The shape of the team out of possession was good,

00:24we knew that the two centre-halves would have a lot of the ball and try and build through

00:27the goalkeeper. So, we had to be disciplined in that, but we defended really well. Back

00:35to clean sheets, which is huge for us. I thought the other part of the game, we were aggressive

00:42when we had to step into them in key areas and created good chances. Timings of the goals

00:51were good to get the first one, the second one settled us down and I was delighted in

00:57terms of the attitude of the team after that. They looked as if they were really enjoying

01:01the afternoon. We never sat back and went 4-5-1 or 5-4-1, whatever it is, and soaked

01:08it up. We went hunting and pressed really well for the third. So, good afternoon for

01:14us. We talked about it at the start of the game. I've embraced it, I'm in the position

01:22for a reason. I can't not talk about opportunity going to the top of the division. Why should

01:30we ignore it? I know I've managed over 1,000 games and nothing's won in January, but there

01:39were a big three points on offer today and to take four points off Norwich, who are well

01:45coached with a lot of good players, is a good effort.

01:50I know it's a team effort and it's a good day for Harrison with a couple of goals.

01:54Just how impressed have you been with him, first real experience in the Champions League?

01:58He had a bit of a wobble at Watford the week before. Any good player comes back and steps

02:06right onto it and was excellent. He played in the middle of the park in the game against

02:13Cardiff, so he's got that ability, he's good on the ball. Another one that's first season

02:17in the Championship and he's had an outstanding season, but he's got another 19 games to go.

02:23There's good competition in that area. We had to change the team pretty late on. Brooksy

02:29didn't feel well overnight and reported not very well this morning, so we had to change

02:35that. We were starting with Gus off the left and Brooksy off the right and Callum and Ryan,

02:44so we had to whizz that round a bit. No excuses from us. I talked about if you have the belief

02:48to win a game of football today, show a little bit more control in the game than we did second

02:53half at Watford. I was delighted with what happened at Watford. It's something that we

02:59will lean on for the remaining part of the season. Emotionally exhausted, physically

03:05exhausted, did what we needed to do to win. Dragged each other through it and got that

03:11win. A different type of performance today. Harrison played his part, I thought Hamer

03:18was excellent. It wasn't a day where it was about one or two, I thought everybody was

03:27bang at it. There were sevens and eights and a couple of nines in there right the way through,

03:32which there has to be if you're going to win a game of football, especially against the

03:39quality of the opposition.

03:40I was going to ask about Gus as well, he's not sure what confidence he's issuing from

03:43him.

03:44No, I've got to say when I saw him shoot, sometimes I'm a bit pragmatic in my approach.

03:50If I was playing behind him and he had a shot and it went out of play, then maybe I'd be

03:56having a little word in his ear if I was playing with him. But you don't want to take that

04:00out of him as well. I thought he was outstanding. I told him after I was coming off, I'm going

04:03to have a moan at you at times, but listen, we're going to have that relationship. Some

04:08of his play was sublime and to see that, the vision that he had. When he's hit it,

04:13when he's struck it, I just think he was nowhere near going to have the pace on the ball and

04:19the power on the ball. He just kept going and going and gathering pace. Obviously, Angus

04:24has made a really good save to keep it out.

04:26Can I ask you about the clean sheets before you mentioned it? Does that have to be the

04:30start of another run for them?

04:32You look at the goals against Burnley. The first goal from their point of view would

04:40be a really good goal. The second goal is a deflection. The best West Brom goal is a deflection.

04:47The goals at Sunderland are down to us. Really poor decisions. So we've talked about not

04:52gifting anything away. Let them earn those opportunities. At half-time, it wasn't a case

05:00of sitting back. It was being bold and brave. But I'm delighted for Robbo and El. I thought

05:05it was outstanding. The back four were really good. We've not set up to be a defensively

05:12minded team, but to get both ends of the pitch right, which we did today, then gives you

05:18a fabulous opportunity of getting a win.

05:20Can I ask you about Tom Davies, obviously, with his history? A bit of concertancy in

05:24the club. How were him and Sam initially?

05:26Sam just tweaked his ankle. Tom's just got a bit of a sore groin, so we'll assess that

05:31tomorrow. The boys are in tomorrow, so we'll assess that. We talked about how he might

05:36pick up little bits and pieces. It's disappointing from his point of view, but we'll wait and

05:45see on that.

05:46How close were they, everyone, to coming back?

05:50I talked after the Watford game. I believe that, and not down to us, that we would possibly

05:58have some additions into the group. We're close. We're close on one, maybe, that has

06:09been floating about today, and another couple. As we talked about on Friday, it's not straightforward.

06:20I'm delighted with the support I've been given by Stephen Bettis and the owners, the

06:29chairman, in supporting what we're trying to do. It's needed. I said to the players

06:35before, you look and they've got injuries, we've got injuries, we're stretched. We've

06:39got players coming back. We think that Vinny and Jez will be back for Tuesday, hopefully.

06:47They'll train tomorrow, but I won't take a short-term gamble on them. With Femi coming

06:56into the group, and Ty looked sharp for 15-20 minutes, which was great. There were a few

07:02carrying illnesses. As I said, we had to change the team pretty late with Brooksy,

07:05but he should be okay. And the additions of the boys, it's going to be difficult because

07:11the registration time is 12 o'clock on Monday for Tuesday and 12 o'clock on Thursday for

07:18Friday. We'll just work relentlessly, as we've done, myself and Stephen and the recruitment

07:26team, to support the boys. That's what I said to them before the game. No excuses. We've

07:31lost a couple of players. Kiefer wasn't well enough to play, Brooksy wasn't well enough

07:37to play, but we're bringing players in to support this group, not to take anybody's

07:42place, to make us better, because we need to be when we look at the likes of the teams

07:48in and around us and what they've got in terms of depth and strength, because we're going

07:56to need it. 20 games are going to fly. Physically, we're going to get massively tested and we

08:03need them options and solutions to little bits and pieces that maybe go against us.

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