Sheffield United Jamu Preston North End Tanpa Tyler Bindon

Sheffield United dijadwalkan menjamu Preston North End di Stadion Bramall Lane dalam pertandingan kandang terakhir musim ini pada Sabtu, 25 April 2026. Manajer Chris Wilder mengonfirmasi timnya tidak akan diperkuat oleh Tyler Bindon dan Kalvin Phillips yang mengalami cedera.

Tyler Bindon harus absen setelah menderita cedera pergelangan kaki saat kalah dari Blackburn Rovers pada Rabu malam. Sementara itu, Kalvin Phillips masih dalam masa pemulihan akibat cedera lutut yang didapatnya saat laga derbi melawan Sheffield Wednesday beberapa waktu lalu.

Chris Wilder memberikan apresiasi khusus terhadap dedikasi Bindon yang tetap memaksakan bermain meski mengalami cedera saat pergantian pemain tim sudah habis.

"Yeah, he's out for tomorrow. He’s gone for a scan and he rolled his ankle." kata Wilder dilansir dari thestar.co.uk.

Wilder menambahkan bahwa sikap Bindon yang tetap berada di lapangan menunjukkan kepribadian yang luar biasa di tengah upaya tim untuk bangkit dari penampilan buruk di babak pertama.

"I've got to say, his attitude to staying on was first class. It speaks lot about the boy personally in that situation. We were obviously on top of the game and trying to get back into it after a really, really disappointing first half." ujar Wilder.

Pihak klub berharap Bindon bisa kembali tersedia untuk pertandingan pekan depan melawan Derby County. Pemain pinjaman tersebut akan kembali ke klub asalnya, Forest, pada musim panas mendatang.

"And he was part of that revival. He really should have gone off, but he didn't. And yeah, he rolled his ankle. We're hopeful that he'll be available for next Saturday." tambah Wilder.

Terkait kondisi Kalvin Phillips, Wilder menyatakan bahwa pemain pinjaman dari Manchester City tersebut masih terus bekerja keras dalam proses pemulihannya pekan ini.

"He’s working away this week. So we’ll see what happens for next Saturday." ungkap Wilder.

Kabar baik bagi The Blades adalah kembalinya Andre Brooks, Sydie Peck, dan Femi Seriki ke dalam skuad setelah sebelumnya absen akibat sakit saat melawan Blackburn Rovers.

"That’s the reason that Sydie didn’t start, and Brooksy and Femi. So we had to deal with that, but obviously we didn't deal with it very well." jelas Wilder.

Wilder mengakui tantangan besar yang dihadapi timnya musim ini, terutama masalah konsistensi yang menjadi kelemahan utama sejak ia mengambil alih kursi kepelatihan.

"Our Achilles’ heel has been the inconsistency of the team. Consistently inconsistent. And I think that's what we're all striving for, especially here in performance, attitude and results." tegas Wilder.

Meskipun situasi sulit, Wilder menekankan pentingnya bagi pemilik klub, staf, dan pendukung untuk tetap berjuang melewati masa-masa sulit ini.

"There are always challenges, but this by far for me is the biggest challenge. That isn't deflecting; we understood the situation, what we were coming into [in September, when he replaced Ruben Selles at the helm." kata Wilder.

Manajer tersebut menyatakan rasa bangganya mendapatkan panggilan untuk melatih kembali dan berkomitmen untuk meninjau seluruh performa tim di akhir musim.

"I was delighted to get the call and we've gone through that. A massive challenge for the owners, of course. A big challenge for me and the staff and challenging for the supporters as well because of where we were and what's happened this season." lanjut Wilder.

Wilder meyakini bahwa Sheffield United akan bangkit kembali meski harus merasakan kepahitan dari hasil pertandingan musim ini yang tidak selalu sesuai rencana.

"I will say it’s the highs and lows of supporting a football club. It doesn't always go to plan. It always doesn't give you what you want it to give you. And you have to live it. You have to take the pain and you have to come fighting back." tutur Wilder.

Target utama tim saat ini adalah mencoba meraih hasil maksimal dalam dua pertandingan terakhir musim ini.

"And there's no doubt in my opinion that we will come fighting back. But personally, it’s been a huge challenge and we'll review it. We'll go through it. And we'll definitely try and get something out of the last two games." tutup Wilder.

Di sisi lain, Preston North End (PNE) datang dengan catatan performa yang menurun drastis sejak awal tahun. Tim asuhan asisten manajer Stuart McCall kini tertahan di peringkat ke-16 klasemen Championship.

McCall mengakui bahwa penurunan performa ini tidak terlepas dari faktor cedera pemain kunci seperti kiper Dan Iversen dan beberapa hasil buruk di menit-menit akhir pertandingan.

"It's not easy to win games in this league. We had a really good start but there's also realism to it. I think I did interviews about that time, saying you don't want to ever dampen expectation, or what you're aiming to do. And when you're riding high, it's easy to get caught up in a wave, ‘This is where we should be. This is where we deserve to be’." ujar McCall dilansir dari lep.co.uk.

Ia menekankan bahwa saat PNE berada di peringkat keempat, selisih poin dengan tim-tim di bawahnya sangat tipis, sehingga posisi tersebut memang sulit dipertahankan.

"And at the time, yeah, we merited being where we were. But when we were fourth, I think we were only three points above being 12th... it was always tight. So, you want to be positive and look forward but yeah, there's little things. It's easy to just say obviously, Dan (Iversen) got injured and was out for 10 games." jelas McCall.

PNE juga kehilangan poin berharga akibat kebobolan di masa injury time saat melawan Ipswich, Swansea, dan Blackburn Rovers dalam beberapa bulan terakhir.

"And I've said before, I think Dan's probably one of the top three goalkeepers in this league. Harrison Armstrong goes back but also later on in that period, we go away to Ipswich and lose a goal in the 93rd minute, it costs us two points. We do exactly the same at Swansea, 94th minute, and we do it at Blackburn, which costs us a point." kata McCall.

McCall mengakui adanya penurunan performa individu dari beberapa pemain yang sebelumnya tampil sangat baik di lima bulan pertama kompetisi.

"I think we've had some some really good form from certain individuals, purple patches in the first four or five months. Probably, a few have dipped under that now. So all in all, it's a combination of everything and then on recent times, you look back at the goals the other night. I know all managers and coaches say it... poor goals to lose." ungkap McCall.

Kesalahan dalam pengambilan keputusan di area pertahanan sendiri menjadi sorotan tajam bagi staf pelatih Preston North End menjelang akhir musim.

"But the decision making first and foremost, we get caught with the ball twice in our own half and then we pay for it by not being good 1v1 defending. But the other night there's no doubt, I think we deserved to get something from the game. Overall, a combination of everything but it's not been good enough for the last four months without that. The results certainly haven't and probably, a lot of the performances haven't." pungkas McCall.