Chris Wilder told he faces ‘huge job’ to turn around ‘vulnerable’ Sheffield United after Charlton defeat

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Sheffield United could not deliver a win on Chris Wilder’s return to the club, with Charlton Athletic spoiling the party late on.

After taking the job at Sheffield United for a third time, all eyes were on Chris Wilder this weekend as the Blades hosted Charlton Athletic at Bramall Lane.

A fairly dour affair was goalless until the dying moments, with Sheffield United lacking a clinical edge once more. That profligacy cost them dearly in the end, with the Addicks stealing a late win thanks to a goal from Isaac Olaofe.

That means Wilder has now lost the opening game of all three spells at Sheffield United. And, judging by the reaction of Blades icon Carl Asaba, there are a plethora of areas of concern for the returning United manager to resolve.

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Carl Asaba says Sheffield United ‘lack leaders’

Speaking on BBC Radio Sheffield, Asaba was voicing concerns throughout the game. Indeed, most of his comments foreshadowed the defeat to come.

With the score at 0-0, he said: “I think Chris Wilder might be concerned with how light his squad is for attacking options. We need someone to come on and unsettle Charlton.”

At the interval, Asaba also highlighted some defensive worries, saying: “There have been some good signs and improvements. But, it’s a little worrying how vulnerable we’re looking at the back.”

As part of Sky Sports’ coverage of the game, Matt Murray echoed concerns around the lack of options in the Blades’ dugout. He said: “Chris Wilder is turning to his bench, going for the win – but you can’t see where the goals are coming from.”

After the game, Asaba condemned what he had seen from the United players with a scathing review, highlighting just how difficult Wilder’s job will be from here on out.

“Chris Wilder has got a huge job on his hands. Not only is the team devoid of any belief, but his striking options are tiny. We had good possession sometimes but no threat up top,” Asaba said. “The manager will praise his side afterwards but only because he can’t hammer them anymore. They lack leaders… they lack everything.”

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Can Chris Wilder fix Sheffield United?

Many believed Ruben Selles was the main problem with this Sheffield United team. In many ways he was. But, after seeing the lacklustre performance from the Blades today, it’s clear that we cannot only blame the former manager.

The players still looked deflated and though we saw some sparks of flair and fight here and there, it simply wasn’t enough. We were told the Sheffield United squad were happy to have Wilder back. Now they need to prove it.

This is a squad devoid of confidence and seemingly lacking any kind of cohesion on the pitch. But, if anyone can fix that at Sheffield United, it’s Chris Wilder.

There are some who still believe Wilder can get Sheffield United into the play-offs this season. At this rate, they’ll be lucky to survive relegation.

However, given Wilder’s passionate feelings about the club, it’s hard to imagine the squad not getting fired up. Perhaps it’s simply a case of this Charlton game coming around too soon?

Next up is a trip to Oxford United. There will be no excuses for that one. It’s a game they cannot afford to lose.

What Chris Wilder said after Charlton Athletic defeat

Speaking after the game, Chris Wilder pulled no punches in stressing how hard it will be to turn things around.

He said: “We’ve got a bit of work to do. There are some bits and pieces out there I was pretty pleased with, but there’s a lot of stuff that definitely needs some work on the training ground.

“We came in today in a positive mood after a good week’s work. The key is having the nuts to do it on a Saturday afternoon though. That’s where everybody is judged, players and myself.

“The crowd were tremendous and tried to lift us and drive us forward, give us that energy that we need, but then it slipped away a bit towards the end of the second half and became quite chaotic.”

The Sheffield United manager wasn’t too pleased with the goal his side conceded, but admitted there were some bright notes to focus on.

He added: “I saw an honest performance. But you have to get that balance right, and with the quality we have got we never really showed that, or any control on the game.

“The goal is a chaotic goal, a straight ball, a flick-on and then two versus two and the boy finds a pass in the 90th minute.”