Blades ready for the challenges ahead – Sharp
SHEFFIELD UNITED and Aston Villa will tonight become the first teams to play English league football for 100 days, and Billy Sharp is anxious to pick up where he and his team left off as soon as possible.
The Blades had the wind at their backs when the Premier League was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic on March 13, and captain Sharp was a striker in form.
He made only one Premier League start, at home to Newcastle United, in the first half of the season, but kicked off six of the last seven matches in all competitions before the lockdown and scored the winner in the other, an FA Cup fifth-round tie at Reading. Despite three goals in his last four matches, three months without competitive football means no one can claim to be in form.
“I want to get back on the scoresheet as quickly as possible to help us win games,” said Sharp. “We want to fight for each other and get as many points as we can. It’s in our hands, it’s up to us to perform well and get the results.
“We’re looking forward to it and have been for the last few weeks. Games come thick and fast so we will need our squad and whoever comes in knows their roles. Everyone will be pushing in the same direction.
“I was scoring goals and we were playing well and didn’t want the break. It’s the same for all the teams so the question in everyone’s mind will be where is everyone at? I think we’re in a good place but we’ll soon find out.”
Arsenal are at Manchester City in tonight’s later game, but the remaining clubs do not restart until the weekend. Winning at Villa Park will move the Blades up to fifth with all teams having nine matches to play and put a first season of European football in sight for the Blades.
“There will be more people watching than usual which won’t affect us because we can’t hear them or see them,” said Sharp. “We’re out there to perform for each other, for the club for our family and friends, to achieve something special. We need to hit the ground running.
“We’re always trying to make statements but we’ve got two games in the first week (they are at Newcastle on Sunday). We are playing two teams who are fighting for other things but we’re confident we can pick up points from both places, and then we’ve got an FA Cup game (at home to Arsenal in the quarter-finals) which is huge again because it’s a chance to get to the final of the best cup competition in the world.
“I’m not going to shy away from it, we’ve got a brilliant opportunity to achieve that (European qualification). It (tonight’s game) is a good chance for us to put a marker down and put it in our own hands with nine games to go.
“If we win every game we know we’re in Europe! But there’s a lot of football left and that’s why the manager (Chris Wilder) isn’t going to be sucked into it. It’s more now than ever game by game.
“I do think there’ll be a few weird results but we’ve got to make sure we’re a team on form like we were before the break and we’re consistent right the way through. We’ll keep pushing ourselves right the way through as we always have.”
There will be no letting up on a personal level from a player who last week signed a contract to keep him at Bramall Lane until he is 36, and has already set his sights on another.
“I haven’t signed a contract to wind down and finish my career, I’m determined to get another one,” he insisted after committing until 2022. “It’s an honour to captain this club and I want to carry that on.
“I’m loving each day and I want it to continue for more years to come.
“I’ve worked hard for the last few years off the pitch to get in better shape and come back fitter and stronger. I’m enjoying it and want to keep going for as long as possible.
“I’m going to work harder for the next two years and chase my next contract.”
The brand of football Wilder plays is extremely physically demanding, but holds no fears for his on-field leader.
“The way we play, our formation, the speed and the intensity to get the ball back, each player has to be really on the ball and 100 per cent in every training session and in matches because if not the manager lets you know about it,” explained Sharp, who began his third spell at his boyhood club in 2015.
“My all-round game has come on to link the game up a bit more, the defensive side of things and getting on end of chances we create. It’s more demanding the higher you get and you have to be in top condition to get around the pitch and play at the best of my ability.
“Right now I’m just looking to finish off as well as possible and who knows where we can go?”