West Brom v Sheffield United - Return of Blades’ ‘Picassos’ can boost our goal tally, says Chris Wilder

This season, the Blades have been missing many of the ingredients which made them such a force to be reckoned with in 2019-20.

Wilder has repeatedly said the absence of Blades fans at home and away has hurt his team more than any in the Premier League, and he thinks to allow half the division to have supporters back from next week whilst the other half have to play behind closed doors is unfair.

There have also been key absences on the field. Jack O’Connell may not play again this season and another mainstay of last, Enda Stevens, is a doubt for tonight’s crucial trip to fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion. John Fleck, though, returned at home to West Ham United last week and Lys Mousset could do so today.

Wilder calls them “game-changers.”

“They have the ability,” he says. “There’s water carriers and there’s painters. I’m not so sure we’ve got a lot of Picassos in our team at the moment!

“We’ve not taken enough of the big moments. The moment in the Arsenal (home) game last year that Lys took was a great moment for him, at Chelsea, and at Manchester United, his performance at Spurs, he was a big player for us in terms of assists, contributions and goals, getting us up the pitch and causing problems to other teams.

“I know the big teams talk about their players when they’re not fit. It hurts them and it’s going to hurt us.”

Mousset was the Blades’ joint top-scorer with six goals last season but has not played competitively since time off at the end of it to be with the mother of his child, who gave birth in France in the spring whilst Mousset was locked down in South Yorkshire. He then picked up a pre-season toe injury.

At times Mousset’s football can be frustratingly inconsistent but at his best the speedy striker brings something extra.

“He had a really good pre-season and I was looking forward to him being part of a forward line that ticks a lot of boxes for me,” says Wilder.

“The players all love him to bits. He frustrates them and me at times with what he does but that’s his character.

“The effect on the team is only when he’s fit and firing and he’s a big player for us and a threat we’d rather have than not.”

Fleck only scored one fewer goal than Mousset last season, and the runs he and John Lundstram made from midfield were crucial. Neither have scored in 2020-21.

Scotland international Fleck has been hampered by injury, including the back problem which saw him miss six Blades matches and Scotland’s qualification for the European Championships.

“He doesn’t really bring a lot off the field because he’s a quiet boy who gets on with his job but his presence, his ability, his drive bring a lot on it,” argues Wilder.

“He’s a talented footballer and we need all our best players on the pitch. We haven’t had that with O’Connell, Mousset and Fleck. We need them affecting training and affecting games and I thought for his first game back last week, up against Declan Rice and (Tomas) Soucek, I thought he could be well pleased with his contribution.

“Hopefully we can keep him fit and healthy because he’s not missed many games for us over the last three or four years and it’s not a fluke that we’ve had some positive results.”

Fleck admits it was hard watching from the sidelines as his team struggled to record its first win this season. Despite only having one point from nine matches, the Blades have rarely been far off in any game. A player like Fleck might have made the difference in some.

“It’s not nice being out, thankfully it wasn’t any worse,” he reflects. “It was hard, watching the boys and not being able to help, not being in and around them or at the training ground. I’m glad to be back.

“We have been in all of the games and hopefully we can get back to getting the goals. We just keep working hard in training. That’s all you can do.”

Wilder thinks it is wrong fans will allowed in at some grounds but not others once England’s second lockdown is lifted on Wednesday.

“I’m not so sure there has been a vote on it and surely it can’t be right that some clubs are allowed supporters back in and some aren’t,” he argues.

“For me it’s everybody or nobody for this small period of time. There’s a huge amount of news about vaccines and how they’re going to roll them out. I’m sure in the new year we can get people back into football grounds regardless of the part of the country they’re in.

“For us not to be allowed that because we’re in this part of the country doesn’t sit well with me. But nobody from The Smoke is going to vote to help me out, are they? Or Liverpool.

“I’m not so sure Jurgen (Klopp, Liverpool’s manager) is going to say it’s not right that they can have fans in as they’re in Tier 2 and Sheffield United, Leeds, Manchester and all the rest of the north are not allowed in. He’s a world-class manager and a world-class politician, who cares about Liverpool. That’s all he cares about.

“Everyone looks after themselves, which I suppose is fair enough.”

The Blades need to start looking after themselves on the field. Their Picassos should help.

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