Wilder on 'lift' of a win, McAtee and Chelsea
- Published
Josh Lobley, BBC Sport
Chris Wilder has been speaking to the media ahead of Saturday's Premier League game at Chelsea.
Here are the main lines from his news conference:
Ben Osborn will be involved in the game while Rhys Norrington-Davies is back in training and Rhian Brewster is also back on the grass.
On the lift his squad had from their victory over Brentford: "It's not just internally, but in the city. Being a local boy, you feel it around the town and you see people being lifted. It's up to us to continue that trajectory."
On Chelsea's shaky form: "I'm not getting caught up in that narrative. They have a world class manager and a really good team. Two or three weeks ago they went toe to toe with [Manchester] City, the best team in Europe."
Wilder had more to say about the Blues: "Mauricio [Pochettino] is six months into a new job and putting his own mark on it. Their roster is an incredibly healthy one packed with talent, especially at the top end of the pitch with pace and power. An iconic football club that's had an outstanding 20-25 years. We have to go there with belief. The first half an hour of the game is vital for us. We need a big start there and for us to get a result on Saturday would be another step forward."
On the return of Ollie Norwood and Ollie McBurnie, Wilder said: "These senior players have some decent young players to push out of the team. Ollie at his best is a handful, but I've got to say [William] Osula has been outstanding."
Wilder gave details about a meeting he's had with the club about the upcoming January transfer window: "We talked about my assessment of the squad and what we need to do. Maybe some players are surplus, maybe there are some specific positions where we might bring in. We talked about player contracts and tying the younger players down which is key. It was a really positive meeting."
On James McAtee's Premier League goal: Wilder said: "I like him. He interacts with the older players and is a typical Manchester boy. He's got a personality, which you have to have to be a top footballer. He's impressed us all in the two games. We talked about not having enough big moments and he has that ability to do that."
