Wilder on Swansea: “They Can Hurt Anybody in This Division” | OneFootball

Sheffield United will look to maintain their momentum as they head to Wales on Tuesday night to face a struggling Swansea City side.

Swansea enter the match reeling from a humbling 3-0 defeat to arch-rivals Cardiff City, a result that left fans frustrated and highlighted defensive vulnerabilities. Luke Williams’ side have now conceded 11 goals in their last four league matches, exposing cracks at the back despite an otherwise creative approach in attack.

Opta statistics reveal that Swansea remain the sixth-most creative team in the division, but a lack of clinical finishing has been their Achilles’ heel. Their -5.53 xG (expected goals) differential – the fifth-worst in the Championship – indicates a significant underperformance in turning chances into goals. Manager Luke Williams will demand a response from his players, particularly after the emotional fallout of the South Wales derby.

Sheffield United Need to be Prepared For A Reaction From Swansea City

Chris Wilder, Sheffield United’s manager, expects a fierce reaction from Swansea, he said in his press conference. “You [expect a reaction from their 3-0 loss]. Luke’s a guy I’ve known for a long time, admired his career so far. He’s not soft, he wants to win.”

He added: “The debate is, is it the performance or is it the result? You’d all love to play well; we played well on Saturday and got a deserved win. The better you play you give yourself a better opportunity to win. I think there’s always that in certain managers, maybe from an individual point of view, it’s their progression more than the club’s progression and maybe it’s all about them and not about winning. I’m pushing a little bit more to that win thing because I like that. Maybe some managers are pushing for the performance. A balance in between is the sweet spot.”

Wilder said: “I know Luke will want to win and I think his comments after the game, a flash point after the derby, would I expect a reaction? Yeah, most certainly. We expect Swansea to be at their best and they can hurt anybody in this division.”

The Blades, in contrast, are flying high after back-to-back league wins, including a dominant 2-0 victory over Norwich City last weekend. The performance at Bramall Lane was as controlled as it was efficient, with Sheffield United comfortably seeing out the game without conceding a single shot on target.

Promotion remains the primary goal for Wilder’s men, and maintaining consistency on the road will be key to their campaign. The Blades boast the second-best away record in the Championship so far, only behind Burnley.

Wilder on Recent Transfer Links

Off the pitch, Wilder addressed speculation surrounding potential January signings, including interest in Hertha Berlin’s full-back Jonjoe Kenny and Southampton’s Shea Charles.

On Kenny, Wilder said: “It’s position specific. With Souttar going back, Alfie [Gilchrist] can play centre-half as well. We’ve got young Femi [Seriki] coming through. It’s an area we’ve looked at, there’s a number of players that can play in that position. I’ll let you do the maths in terms of names.”

Wilder also detailed United’s interest in Charles, who was on loan at Sheffield Wednesday earlier in the season before recently being recalled. “He’s a player we know a lot about. I know his agent, David Reeves, really well, a local boy. I’ve known Reevesy for 20-30 years.” He exclaimed, “He’s a player we identified in the summer as we have to because we’re all doing our job. Sheffield Wednesday are doing their jobs, we’re doing our jobs. That [link] wasn’t a wind-up even though I get it, and people think it might’ve been. But, we’ve lost Oli Arblaster, Tom Davies coming back from injury, Sydie [Peck] has done fantastically well. And we’ve seen how much we’ve missed Vini [Souza]. Players of quality, of pedigree, he was one on the list.”