Slavisa Jokanovic and Sheffield United face a key international break to regroup

Last November, the Blades were dismantled 4-1 at Chelsea before the final hiatus of 2020.

This year, they produced another insipid performance en route to a 3-1 reverse at Blackburn Rovers in front of a big travelling support of almost 5,000 fans.

After that episode at Stamford Bridge last year, then manager Chris Wilder spoke of the need for his players to ‘clear their heads’ ahead of a key run of league games against several relegation rivals which would pretty much decide their Premier League fate.

He spoke of United contending with a fraught period and admitted that there was ‘no magic wand’ in terms of remedying it.

In the here and now, his permanent successor in Slavisa Jokanovic might just empathise.

His Blades side lie in 18th place – closer to the bottom three of the Championship as they are to the play-off positions.

Just like late last year, the games leading up to Christmas and just after will decide which way the season will go. An outside chance of the top six, mid-table mediocrity or even another relegation battle, perish the thought.

Looking a bit further ahead, out of the next 13 league games that United play up until early February, just four are against sides currently in the top half of the table.

For Jokanovic, lifting spirits and restoring belief ahead of the winter grind will be every bit as important as technical and tactical work on the training ground in the coming days ahead.

A bit of fighting talk as well is a start. His players need to start showing it on the pitch a bit more after United’s fitful season reached its nadir at Ewood Park.

Jokanovic said: “This season is not finished for us.

“We need to accept our situation. We know we don’t do a good job at the moment, but it is no time to give up and not trust and (start) thinking about next season. We need to trust we can do important things in this season too.

“We have had a lot of disappointing situations at the end of games and there is a lot of space for us to do things better. I know our supporters expect a lot of different things to what we offer them right now.”