Paul Heckingbottom and his team drew encouragement from their improved second-half performance against West Ham in their last outing, and they are intending to carry that momentum into tomorrow’s match against Fulham.
Despite suffering their sixth defeat in seven games at the London stadium, the Blades found positives in the overall performance, particularly addressing defensive concerns that surfaced during a challenging 13-minute span in the first half.
The halftime teamtalk by Heckingbottom and his coaching staff yielded a positive reaction. This performance offered both good bits and areas to address in the upcoming week.
With an international break following the clash at Craven Cottage, Heckingbottom aims to end this run of fixtures with a positive result, providing the team something to build on during the two-week lay-off.
Paul Heckingbottom told the media:
“I thought it was clear against West Ham what we did well and need to do better, attack as a team, defend as a team. The intent was there but we were too easy to play against in the first half. We were much more of a threat in the second half and we played in their half more. That’s been the focus this week.
“It was a good game for us to get a strong message out of. Fulham will be a tough game but we want the points. I believe our approach at West Ham, defend from the front and attack together, that’s what we are striving towards.” [SUTV]
The return of striker Rhian Brewster, after an 11-month absence, adds a timely boost to the squad. Despite the challenging form, Brewster expresses confidence in building on the second half performance against West Ham.