Chris Wilder makes Leeds admission straight after Sheffield United win
Chris Wilder admits nothing has changed in the Championship title race after Sheffield United beat Luton Town on Saturday.
The Blades have taken position at the top of the table following their victory meaning Leeds must get a win against Sunderland on Monday (17 February) if they want to reclaim the top spot.
Leeds’ race for the Championship title has been a tight one throughout the season so far and it looks as though it may stay that way right until the very end.
Chris Wilder: Leeds won’t be rocked by pressure
Although the top two in the Championship gain automatic promotion, both Yorkshire sides will be desperate to be crowned as the best and go up as the champions.
Both Leeds and Sheffield United have made it genuinely hard for one another throughout the season too and you can easily say that they are sides that deserve promotion.
However, with plenty of football yet to be played this term, Daniel Farke’s men won’t be keen to give up what was previously their spot at the top of the table anytime soon.
Nevertheless, a game against Sunderland on Monday is not going to be an easy one as the Black Cats sit fourth in the table, seven points off Leeds.
Nevertheless, Wilder admitted he can’t see his side’s Yorkshire rivals getting too panicked and when asked if their results would have a physiological effect on Leeds, he told The Star: “Nah, they don’t need pressure. They’ve handled it all the way through.
“We have to keep our heads down and concentrate on what we can control. Any team that wants to be successful has to go through days like today, to achieve what they want to achieve.
“It’s going to be that way and it might be that type of performance is needed in a few games. I’d have loved to have played like we did on Wednesday night [against Middlesbrough], which was really controlled against a different type of team.
“But I think when you look back on seasons and you are successful, you have to experience different challenges and come through them. We’ve experienced a difficult type of challenge today and we’ve come through it.”
Championship title race will be a battle
Naturally, there is some pressure on the shoulders of Leeds going into Monday’s game as even a point would regain them the top spot on goal difference and they would be more in control of their own fate.
Furthermore, with Burnley drawing 0-0 with Preston and Leeds facing Sunderland, the weekend has gifted the Blades with an opportunity to see their rivals drop points while Wilder’s side did exactly what they needed to do.
As Wilder points out, Farke and his side have been very calm and level-headed throughout the campaign which suggests that Wilder’s comments may be right as they are unlikely to be too phased and rather, will focus on their own games.
Going through a season with up and downs as well as constantly changing places may equip the West Yorkshire outfit very well for the Premier League as we know it is not an easy league to adapt to.
You can imagine that Farke will have completely blocked out any comments at all from Wilder, with him very much focused on what his own Leeds team are doing and what they can control.