Heckingbottom on Archer, being 'fearless' and Man City
- Published
Paul Heckingbottom has been speaking to the media before Sheffield United's Premier League game against Manchester City at Bramall Lane on Sunday.
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Asked about the reason for the delay in signing striker Cameron Archer from Aston Villa, Heckingbottom said: "It's out of my hands, I don't know. I'm hoping it's happening, I would have loved and Cameron would have loved to have got it over the line to be involved on Sunday, but we haven't done it yet."
Heckingbottom wants his new signings to be "fearless" and not be worried about making errors: "Our environment I think is pretty simple, but not everyone believes what you say, I'm expecting mistakes. If we're going to compete with these clubs week on week, we have to be fearless and we have to be at our very best to win games. To be at your very best, you can't be holding back. That is our approach, sometimes it will work, sometimes it will cost us but we want to keep improving."
On the challenge of facing champions Manchester City, he said: "We've got to be at our very, very best. There are going to be moments where we are going to have to be a bit aggressive and take risks, we know that if we want to get a result, create chances and score goals. At the same time, you have to accept they're the moments when they can capitalise and get their good moments."
Asked if any lessons could be learned from their FA Cup semi-final loss to City at Wembley last season, Heckingbottom added: "Mistakes were punished and the game went away from us. We know we've got to almost play the perfect game. Their team will be different, obviously ours is very much different. It's a different occasion. Tactically, we know what problems City pose and what they'll try to do against our system. What we don't know is the personnel that will be in those key positions which they try to hold."