The 52-year-old has led the Blades to fifth place in the top-flight after 12 games ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Manchester United

When FIFA announced its shortlist for The Best Men’s Coach of 2019 in September, it was made up entirely of Premier League managers.

Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino were rewarded for leading their respective teams to the Champions League final while Pep Guardiola joined them after his Manchester City side became the first men’s team to win a domestic treble in England.

And yet four months previously, when the League Manager’s Association (LMA) was selecting its Manager of the Year for 2018-19, all three were beaten by a man whom they, and the wider footballing world, are beginning to become very familiar with.

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Having led his Sheffield United side to two promotions in three seasons, Chris Wilder now has the Blades sat fifth in the Premier League after 12 matches. On their return to the top-flight for the first time since 2007, the Bramall Lane outfit find themselves above the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Sunday’s opponents, Manchester United. It is a position they are more than deserving of, and yet another achievement for which Wilder must be lauded.

Few coaches can claim to have enjoyed a better decade in English football than the 52-year-old Sheffield native. He began the 2010s by returning Oxford United to the Football League after winning the Conference National play-offs before, after three further seasons with the Us, he left for relegation-threatened League Two rivals Northampton Town.

Hired in January 2014, Wilder maintained the Cobblers’ Football League status, and just over two years later led them to the title and promotion after amassing 99 points. He would go one better the next season as, after joining boyhood club Sheffield United, he took them from the bottom of League One to the top, picking up 100 points to seal a return to the Championship after six seasons away.

The Blades’ first season back in the second tier saw them drop from the top of the table in October to just outside the play-off positions in May, but there would be no such heartbreak 12 months on, with promotion sealed on the penultimate day of the campaign alongside champions Norwich City.

To round off a truly memorable 10 years, Wilder now finds himself masterminding a campaign which sees his side still unbeaten away from home despite early-season visits to Chelsea and Spurs. A home win over Arsenal is also under his belt as he prepares to welcome the Red Devils to South Yorkshire. Victory over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side would move the Blades to within, at worst, six points of the top four.

But just how has Wilder managed to turn a squad of players with very little Premier League experience into a potential contender for a European spot?

There is a clearly a spirit at Sheffield United that few other clubs can match. Jack O’Connell, Chris Basham, John Fleck and club captain Billy Sharp were all part of Wilder’s squad that won promotion from League One while George Baldock, Enda Stevens and John Lundstram were added ahead of their return to the Championship.

Having that nucleus has proven key to a number of promoted teams avoiding a quick return to the second tier, and is something opposition managers have certainly picked up on.

“What impressed me the most is their belief and togetherness. They have the spirit like a rugby team that fight for each other. That is fantastic to see in a football team,” was Pochettino’s assessment ahead of what proved to be his final match in charge of Tottenham against Wilder’s side in early November.

“That is why they have a good squad, good organisation, a great manager and coaching staff. It is a fantastic job that Chris Wilder has done. Everyone has seen how he is working and the job he has done. The best thing I can say about him is how I described the team.”

And while a strong dressing room can get you so far, that would be to downplay just how tactically astute Wilder is as a coach.

Described by Marcelo Bielsa as the “team from which I’ve learned the most” during the Argentine’s first season in charge at Leeds United, many were intrigued to see whether Wilder could adapt his much-spoken-about ‘overlapping centre-back’ 3-4-1-2 system into the Premier League.

Some pundits expected Wilder to revert back to a more agricultural style so as to ensure survival with a group of players who at first glance did little to inspire hope of any more than a relegation scrap.

“As the season goes on, we might get more credit from pundits when they realise we don’t kick people off the pitch,” midfielder Oliver Norwood told Goal back in August. “There’s a madness to it, but there’s also a system. It takes a lot of hours on the training ground, hard work and attention to detail. We didn’t get caught on the counterattack last season. This is the way we want to play.”

PIC: Sheffield United average position vs Tottenham

That way of playing has seen Wilder remove the No.10 he tended to utilise in the Championship, instead opting for a midfield three for which Norwood (No.16 in the above graphic) acts as the base. Alongside him Fleck (No.4) and particularly Lundstram (No.7) are instructed to move into the attacking third and help create overloads in wide areas alongside both the wing-backs and the overlapping centre-backs that, though less prominent, have not gone away in Wilder’s adapted formation.

Up front, Wilder’s man-management has also been proven, with Lys Mousset having provided three goals and three assists in 11 appearances since his £10 million summer move from Bournemouth, where his record was a far more paltry five goals and one assist in 71 games. Wilder called the 23-year-old a “work in progress” following his goal against West Ham in October, but it is clear Wilder has instilled a belief in a player who regularly looked short of confidence at the Vitality Stadium.

That is not to say Wilder is an arm-around-the-shoulder coach, though. His comments following goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s mistake that cost United a potential point against Liverpool were as surprising as they were seemingly inspirational.

“If he wants to play for the top teams, he wants to play for England, then he needs to do better,” he said in the aftermath of September’s game. “He needs to concentrate more. It’s a disappointing day for him. I am not going to put my arms around him. Simply he needs to do better.”

Henderson has since been in exceptional form, earning call-ups to each of Gareth Southgate’s last two Three Lions squads.

Henderson will not be involved on Sunday given he is on loan from Manchester United, but he has already been earmarked as a potential long-term replacement for David de Gea. Wilder, meanwhile, hasn’t been linked with a future role at a bigger club, with Ed Woodward unlikely to include the dour Yorkshireman on his shortlist of names when the time eventually comes to move on from Solskjaer. But is that a mistake?

Wilder has continually shown he can step up through the leagues, showing innovation both on and off the pitch while doing so. He would likely need to stabilise Sheffield United in the Premier League before talk of taking the next leap up the ladder is even discussed, but the early signs are overwhelmingly positive he will be able to do so.

Beating Manchester United on Sunday would only boost Wilder’s reputation as a bonafide top-tier coach. The next 10 years could prove to be even more fruitful than the last.

The 18-year-old Academy midfielder made his first-team debut as the Carabao Cup holders reached the fifth round with a 3-1 victory over Southampton

Tommy Doyle became the latest Academy product to get his Manchester City opportunity in a competition that has become productive in more ways than one.

After winning the Carabao Cup for two successive seasons, it’s now three years and three days since they were beaten in the competition.

And it’s also been a valuable step forward for many youngsters regularly training with a first-team squad brimming with quality.

Stockport-born defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis joined fellow former Academy players Phil Foden and Eric Garcia in the starting line-up for the win at Preston in the previous round.

And another City fan, Doyle, got his chance in the comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.

The League Cup was already a special competition for the family, as both his grandfathers – Mike Doyle and Glyn Pardoe – scored when City won the trophy against West Brom at Wembley in 1970.

Doyle also captained the side to another League Cup triumph in 1976 – City’s last major trophy for 35 years before the FA Cup win in 2011.

Pardoe, meanwhile, holds the record as the club’s youngest ever player when he made his debut aged just 15 years and 313 days. His grandson,18 years and 12 days, was not much older.

Pep Guardiola had already mentioned the midfielder’s potential after he impressed on the club’s pre-season tour to China.

It was still surprising to see him given a start in a position that the Catalan coach sees as pivotal, even with Fernandinho suspended and Rodri missing through injury.

But Doyle was fearless.

He showed for the ball at every opportunity as City moved the ball quickly around the pitch.

Early in the game, he was pressed by two Southampton midfielders but escaped trouble with a clever Cruyff turn and simple lay-off to get his side on the attack.

In the dying minutes, he was prepared to receive the ball from goalkeeper Claudio Bravo in the box under pressure as City played themselves out of trouble in typical Guardiola style.

It was an impressive performance, in as much as anyone can impress against the woeful Saints.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side were destroyed by Leicester last Friday and looked happy to take anything less than another nine-goal defeat.

City were close to 85 per cent possession for the opening half-hour as Foden and Bernardo Silva coasted around the wide-open midfield, pulling the Saints apart.

Central defender Garcia, another 18-year-old, will have had tougher games at youth level this season.

Guardiola did go for a more experienced frontline of Riyad Mahrez, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, playing on the left side where he has often played for Brazil.

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It was far too much for Southampton.

The opener on 20 minutes was simple; Nicolas Otamendi heading in Silva’s cross after a well-worked, and badly-defended, short corner taken by Doyle.

Aguero added two more, turning in Kyle Walker’s cross before stabbing home Mahrez’s deflected shot after the break.

It was all too easy against an abject Southampton side stripped of any confidence. They did at least grab a late consolation through Jack Stephens but the game had long been over.

The bad news for them is that they’re back at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

The 20-year-old hasn’t featured for the club in the league this season having briefly broken into the first team during the last campaign

Riqui Puig says that he will be forced to consider his Barcelona future if he isn’t afforded more playing time at Camp Nou soon.

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The 20-year-old hasn’t featured for the club in La Liga this season having briefly broken into the first team during the last campaign.

Instead he is still turning out for the club’s B team in the Segunda Division B, and no longer trains regularly with the first team as he did 12 months ago.

And now he says that he “hasn’t closed the door” on the possibility of leaving the La Liga champions if the situation doesn’t improve before then.

“The Second B is a category that is passing through, players don’t want to be here for many years, because we aspire to play at a higher level,” he told a press conference.  

Asked if he plans to leave Camp Nou in January, he said: “No, theoretically no. But we’ll see. I don’t close the door, but it’s true that I would like to have more minutes.

“If I don’t have any minutes, I will have to make a decision. I’m not training so much with the first team this season, whereas last year I was practically in the first team set-up, training with them and going down to play with the B team.

“But this is football and you have to play with your feet on the ground. I have to take the minutes and experience I get and I’m lucky that in the B side I play almost always.”

The 20-year-old joined Barca’s youth set-up in 2013 from Jabac Terrassa, finally making his senior debut in the B team in 2018 during a game against Tarragona.

He looked to be being primed to make the step into Ernesto Valverde’s first team last season but his progress has since stalled, leading to the current impasse and uncertainty regarding his next move.

“It’s hard, because last year I was in the first team set-up and this year I am not participating so much,” he said. “It’s football and I have to assimilate.”

Barca currently lead the La Liga table on goal difference but are level on point with Real Madrid and Real Sociedad. Just one point separates the division’s top five teams but Barcelona and Los Blancos do have one game in hand following the delay of El Clasico. 

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The France coach has backed the attacker to rediscover his best form, despite a slow start to life at Camp Nou

Antoine Griezmann will go on to enjoy a successful Barcelona career, Didier Deschamps believes, adding he has no concerns over the forward’s form.

Griezmann left Atletico Madrid for Barca over the summer, but he has failed to find his best form so far at Camp Nou.

Having played predominantly out wide rather than in the central role he occupies for France and used to fulfil for Atleti, the 28-year-old has four La Liga goals in 10 appearances this term.

However, Deschamps has no concerns over Griezmann, claiming he simply needs more time to adapt to life at his new club.

“Not at all. Even if you have great players at Barcelona, it doesn’t happen in a day. It depends on how they play, how they work with each other,” Deschamps told a news conference after again selecting Griezmann for international duty.

“Also, he’s put in different positions than the ones he has with France, even though he played [wide] a long time ago.

“He must fit in, the other players as well. He didn’t choose the easiest solution and it’s a big club, so the expectations are huge. He’s always part of a team, but he’s not used to it yet.

“Even when he’s not as good, he’s always positive for the team. With us, it’s a different situation, different position, he can play at his best position where I’ve put him a long time ago. Of course, he has a very important role in how we play.”

Another forward who has made the cut for France and has been a pivotal player under Deschamps is Olivier Giroud.

Giroud has made just four Premier League appearances for Chelsea so far this season, with Frank Lampard preferring Tammy Abraham and Michy Batshuayi to the 33-year-old, who has been restricted to 211 minutes of club action across all competitions.

However, the former Arsenal striker remains a key player for France, scoring against Iceland and Turkey in October.

“I picked him last month because of what he did in the past. He’s an important player for us. He proves it on the pitch,” Deschamps said. “When he scores, it’s good for him. It happens quite frequently and, even when he doesn’t score, he’s an important player for us.

“Sadly, the situation hasn’t evolved for him, but he is there because I trust him, because of what he has done in the past and in October. Of course, and he knows it, I hope the situation will change with his club for our games in March. He needs to play, even though he is very fit, he needs to be more on the pitch.”

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The Reds have reached unexpected levels domestically this season, says the German boss, but he knows there is more work to be done

Jurgen Klopp is delighted with Liverpool’s position at this early stage of the 2019-20 season, but feels last weekend’s 3-1 win over Manchester City is only the beginning as his side chase down a first league title in 30 years.

Goals from Fabinho, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane secured Klopp’s Premier League leaders the victory against the reigning champions at Anfield, opening up an eight-point advantage at the summit.

Unbeaten Liverpool are also nine points better off than City, having won 11 of their 12 league outings so far in 2019-20.

Klopp believes such form is “pretty much impossible” but knows there is plenty of road left to travel in a title race that may still include nearest challengers Leicester City and Chelsea.

“It’s just the start, that’s how it is, everybody knows that,” he told Liverpool’s official website.

“If you would have told me that you can have 34 points [at this stage of the season], wow! It’s pretty much impossible but we did it.

“But now the boys go for the last international break of the year. They have to come back healthy. You saw it how intense it was [against City].

“Hopefully they all come back healthy and then we go to Crystal Palace. I think the last games are somewhere on the planet on Tuesday in the week that we play on Saturday against Crystal Palace.

“So they will fly back on the Wednesday, Thursday have a recovery session and Friday, Saturday, ‘Hello, Crystal Palace!’.

“That’s the situation so nothing happens so far but it’s still the best situation we could have asked for so let’s hope we can carry on.”

Bernardo Silva pulled a goal back at the weekend for City, who missed several chances as they applied pressure throughout the contest.

However, Klopp felt this was to be expected and remains delighted with the clinical nature of Liverpool’s display that was not derailed by influential pair Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson feeling under the weather.

“You saw in the last 15 minutes when City gets control of the game then it’s like it is,” he said.

“Difficult but okay, we were obviously tired then and a couple of players felt a little bit of a cold. Hendo, Bobby at half-time, it was really difficult. It was clear at one point we had to make changes there then it’s difficult to adapt.

“Then they get the momentum in the situation when we want to change, scored the goal and had a few more moments.

“But come on, you cannot win against City with no dangerous moments or whatever. Their quality is too high, it’s too big, so I’m completely fine with what we did because we did it our way and I liked that a lot.”

The Inter medical team are encouraged by the forward’s recovery and are hopeful of an early return

Alexis Sanchez’s recovery from ankle surgery is on track and the Inter forward could return ahead of schedule.

Sanchez suffered a dislocated ankle and tendon damage while playing for Chile against Colombia in October.

The need to have an operation meant three months on the sidelines , curtailing the early stages of his loan stay at San Siro from Manchester United.

Inter’s head of medical services Piero Volpi told La Cuarta that he is optimistic about Sanchez’s speed of recovery, with the 30-year-old aiming to resume work with a ball in the near future.

“It is a delicate injury, but the recovery is going very well, the deadlines are being met,” he said.

“Mid-January [is the return date] but we’ll see. Alexis could even come back a little earlier if all goes well.

“He has not yet done work with the ball, but we hope that in the next few days we will have news about it. Everything is going well.”

Inter’s first game of 2020 is away to Napoli in the league on January 5, while they host Atalanta a week later.

Sanchez has appeared in just four games for Antonio Conte’s side so far, beginning his Nerazzurri career with late substitute appearances in 1-0 wins against Udinese and Lazio at San Siro.

He scored on his only Serie A start, a 3-1 win at Sampdoria in late September, where he was later sent off.

He also played 66 minutes of a 2-1 Champions League defeat against Barcelona at Camp Nou before suffering his away with Chile.

Sanchez joined Inter from Manchester United on a season-long loan in August after struggling to replicate his best form in a Red Devils shirt.

He had developed into one of the Premier League’s most prolific scorers during his time with Arsenal, scoring 80 goals in 166 appearances, but failed to reach those heights following his move to Old Trafford in January 2018.

The Chilean scored just five goals in 45 matches before heading to San Siro, with Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer happy to let him leave despite his side’s inconsistency in front of goal.

The 23-year-old picked up a hamstring injury against Vitoria on November 6 but is likely to be fit for the busy festive schedule

Arsenal have been dealt an injury blow following news that midfielder Dani Ceballos will remain on the sidelines until mid-December.

The Spain international picked up a hamstring injury against Vitoria on November 6 and sat out the Gunners’ defeat to Leicester City ahead of the international break.

It has now been confirmed, however, that the Real Madrid loanee faces a further period out, though it is hoped he will return ahead of the busy festive run of fixtures.

Ceballos has become a fan favourite at the Emirates Stadium since his arrival from the Spanish capital on a season-long deal over the summer.

The 23-year-old has made 17 appearances in all competitions for Unai Emery’s side, scoring his only goal for the club against Standard Liege in October.

He is now likely to miss Premier League clashes with Southampton, Norwich City, Brighton and West Ham in the coming weeks as well as the Europa League meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt on November 28.

The return fixture against Standard Liege may also prove too early on December 12, though there will be hope he can face defending Premier League champions Manchester City three days later.

Arsenal’s fixtures around Christmas include a trip to Everton on December 21 as well as successive home matches against Chelsea and Manchester United on December 29 and January 1 respectively.

The only other fitness issue facing Emery’s side ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Southampton is whether Sead Kolasinac will be available after returning from international duty with Bosnia-Herzegovina with a tight left hamstring.

The full-back is being assessed ahead of the fixture at the Emirates Stadium, with Emery in need of a win to ease the pressure that has built on the Spanish coach in recent weeks.

Arsenal have won just two of their last 10 league matches, leaving them sixth in the table and eight points off the top four after just 12 games.

With a return to the Champions League imperative, there are concerns among supporters that ex-Paris Saint-Germain boss Emery is not the man to take them back to Europe’s premier club competition.

The club have offered the coach a public vote of confidence during the international break, but a continuation of their recent poor form may see the board forced into action before the year is out.

The Manchester City boss was quick to shoot down reports of a move to Turin, but admits he could head to Italy one day

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has refused to rule out a move to Serie A in the future, though he has vehemently denied reports he came close to moving to Juventus over the summer.

Guardiola’s current deal at the Etihad Stadium expires in 2021 and there has often been speculation linking him with a new challenge.

The 48-year-old has never spent more than four seasons at one club during his managerial career, taking in trophy-laden spells at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now Manchester City.

Guardiola had a brief spell in Italy during his playing career, making 71 appearances for Brescia and Roma before moving to Qatari side Al-Ahli in 2003.

He admits that the chance to return to the country and manage in another one of Europe’s major leagues appeals to him, but insists his focus remains with the Premier League champions for now.

“Maybe. Possibly, yes,” he told reporters when asked whether he could see himself managing in Serie A one day. “I had a great time in Italy, though I’m fine in England right now. But maybe. I’m still not that old, let’s see.”

There had been rumours that Guardiola was ready to quit Italy in order to succeed Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus over the summer.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri eventually took the role, and Guardiola made it clear to reporters that any story linking him with a move to Turin was false.

“You had the wrong information,” he added. “You had to do your job as a journalist better.”

Guardiola was speaking after Manchester City’s 1-1 Champions League draw with Atalanta, which saw defender Kyle Walker go in goal and keep a clean sheet after Claudio Bravo had been sent off with 10 minutes remaining.

Bravo himself was a substitute for Ederson, who was forced off at half-time with a muscular injury.

The Brazilian is now doubtful for Sunday’s blockbuster clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield.

Raheem Sterling gave City a first-half lead at the San Siro only for Mario Pasalic to equalise for Atalanta four minutes into the second half.

Despite being pegged back City are five points clear at the top of Group C and on course for a place in the knockout stages.

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The head coach has drawn comparisons between his current team and the one he took charge of when he swapped Southampton for London in 2014

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has said that his side are in a similar position now to the one they were in five years ago, when he took over, and insisted that the team need to be given time.

Spurs have regressed this season and have struggled for results, winning just three of their 11 Premier League games so far this term and finding themselves in the bottom half of the table.

Their first two Champions League wins of the campaign have provided a little positivity of late, however, and Pochettino is keen to point out that his team are in a transitional phase.

“We went back to five years ago where we were like this in terms of position, situations and stuff like that, so it takes time,” Pochettino said ahead of this weekend’s match against Sheffield United.

“We cannot move the club forward quick, we cannot accelerate the time – that’s the problem. It’s a natural process. We only need to stay calm and work hard because there is not another way to change this dynamic. It’s different to five years ago but with a lot of similarities.

“It’s difficult to talk now because I don’t want to be talking about negative things. I promise you if all goes well, I will explain for you. I want to be positive because the signals in the last few weeks have been positive.”

Pochettino also believes that it is too soon to write his side off from challenging for a top-four spot, despite their early struggles in the league this term – Spurs are without a league win since they beat Southampton at the end of September, going four games without a victory since then.

“When you assess all the circumstances, it’s normal to be in the position we are,” Pochettino continued.

“We’ll see [about the top four]. Today, it’s so early. If we are capable of finding the right balance to start performing in the way we expect, it’s still possible.”

Spurs host Sheffield United next in an important game as they try to end their winless streak and lift the mood around the club ahead of the international break.