Manchester City v Sheffield United: Difficult? Very, but this is the test we want, insists Blades boss Chris Wilder

On Saturday afternoon, Sheffield United – statistically-speaking, the worst team in the Premier League – play away to Manchester City, the reigning Club World Cup, European Cup, Premier League, FA Cup and European Super Cup champions, on their own turf looking to make up ground in their title race.

The world's best football team got some sun on their backs and a breather from a race they were flagging just a touch in, and as well as being crowned world champions in Saudi Arabia, had the morale-boost of a come-from-behind win with an impressive second half at Everton.

Meanwhile, the Blades were floored by Aston Villa’s stoppage-time equaliser, and kicked when they were down by Luton Town as two own goals turned a 2-1 lead into a 3-2 defeat.

Good luck, lads.

But as first Paul Heckingbottom, and now his successor as manager Chris Wilder, have both stressed, this is what they wanted.

After an under-strength Pep Guardiola team beat them at Wembley in April's FA Cup semi-final, the vanquished players spoke of wanting more of these challenges.

Top sportsmen and women put in so much effort because they want to test themselves against the best on a regular basis to see how good they are. It is why Heckingbottom's side worked so hard to get out of last season's Championship

"They're walking out to 50,000 supporters and 3,000 United fans behind the goal who will desperately want them to do well playing at the highest level of football on a domestic stage," explains Wilder.

"They could quite easily go and play football and really enjoy it and be the best player on the pitch four levels below where we are. That level is not where these boys want to be.

"(Sheffield golfer) Matt Fitzpatrick can go up to Hallamshire and win the Thursday fiddle every time but he wants to play in the Ryder Cup and be the best in the world.

"These players have got to this level, they've got to enjoy it and be able to take on the best."

Playing the best has actually shown the Blades in a good light. That 3-0 defeat at Wembley is the only one of the last five matches between the sides where they were separated by more than a solitary goal. August’s backs-to-the-wall effort at Bramall Lane had the scores at 1-1 with 85 minutes on the clock before Kyle Walker and Rodri came up with the decisive goal.

As the last two matches have tilted against the Blades at the death, it is something they must be wary of when the metronomic passing of the men in light blue has worn down their limbs and worn out their brains.

"You switch off, you get punished," says Wilder. "We switched off for five or 10 minutes against Chelsea and the ball's in the back of the net.

"We got to a stage of the game at Villa Park where we were outstanding and we felt, especially in the last 15, 20 minutes of the game we grew into it and we were pretty even in that period. We switched off.

"We switched off from a throw on Boxing Day (and Luton scored a winner).

"Any club can hurt you (when you do that) but especially the big boys.

"From a mentality and concentration point of view, you've got to be right at it. You've got to be prepared to be down in the game as well and what's your reaction to that? That's not being negative or defeatist."

The beauty of being as disgustingly rich as Manchester City's owners is you can buy some of the most gifted footballers on the planet. The secret to such an overcrowded trophy cabinet is marrying it with an insatiable work ethic.

"It was a conversation I had at my last club (Watford)," recalls Wilder. "I talked at length to ask if they'd watched the Man City-Bayern Munich game and not many watched it, which I thought told a story.

"I told them Jack Grealish played wide left, sometimes the game breaks up and it takes him inside, and did they see the centre-forward (Erling Haaland) go clean through? He'd scored about 1,000 goals in the last three years and everyone thought he'd put his foot through it but he just turned it to Bernardo Silva, who had the easier option of scoring – a team player.

"In the next clip he's back on the edge of his box defending.

"I know the standards they set – you see it, you can feel it and you hear it through people I know. There's an obvious connection (Walker) that talks at great length and with great feeling and enthusiasm in terms of how they roll as a group.

"They do the basics better than anybody else."

It sounds like a lot of hard work. The best things often are.