Chris Wilder agrees with Daniel Farke's Sheffield United vs Leeds United 'spotlight' verdict
All eyes will on Bramall Lane this evening as Leeds United head to the home of their Championship promotion rivals.
Chris Wilder has played down suggestions tonight’s result between Leeds United and Sheffield United could all but decide the Championship title.
Leeds head down the M1 knowing victory would further increase the gap between them and the rest, with three points sending them five clear of Sheffield United and seven ahead of Burnley in third. It would also leave Daniel Farke’s side top with none of their direct promotion rivals left to play.
Similarly, Sheffield United know a win would send them into first but while an already mouth-watering Yorkshire derby has taken on extra significance among the outside world, Farke insisted in his pre-game press conference that ‘spotlight games’ decide nothing. It’s a level-headed approach Leeds fans have become used to and the German’s opposite number tends to agree.
"You can have an advantage of course by accumulating another three points but ultimately it doesn't decide anything,” Wilder told The Star. “It'll only decide stuff in the last four, five, six games or if one team goes and wins the next nine, 10 or 11. I'm not sure that will happen because of the nature of the division and historically how it's always panned out.
"The first goal is massive. To get that first goal is big in any division but ultimately it doesn't decide the game. Sunderland got that first goal and Leeds United fought back and kept playing and knocking on the door and the door opened up. However it opens up, whether it's a set play, whether it's a fabulous delivery by [Joe] Rothwell to [Pascal] Struijk, who gets the winner in the 95th minute, it comes if you knock on the door.
“Leeds have done that all season. We've got a massive task ahead of us, we're not under-estimating the task, and we're respecting it. I'm respecting it as a manager, the coaches are respecting it and players will.”
This evening will see Jayden Bogle return to his former stomping ground for the first time since switching Bramall Lane for Elland Road in the summer. Wilder warned the in-form right-back to expect a tough reception from supporters but he got plenty of stick back in October, eventually coming out on top as part of a winning Leeds team. He and Ethan Ampadu will come up against a number of former pals but old relationships will be forgotten once the whistle goes.
"There's a few connections in there,” Wilder added. “We had Ethan [Ampadu] here in the Covid season in the Premier League so we know a lot about Ethan, we know a lot about Jayden [Bogle], there's connections with the Welsh boys to Joe Rodon (and Dan James) and other bits as well.
“But that goes out the window because you don't get to the situation these players have got to, playing Championship football and international football, if you don't want to win. And some want to win more than others. Both teams have wanted to win since the start of the season, hence the positions we're in and the points totals we've collected.”