A very important trait that will serve us well during the chaotic end to the season.
That’s the message that Blades defender Ben Osborn wanted to get across as the Blades up their preparation for the season to get back underway.
Speaking in an interview with The Star, Osborn recalled a message that boss Chris Wilder had given them during training, and it gave a great insight into the mind-set that he wants to imprint on the team.
“He told us we had given ourselves a huge opportunity and, if we wanted to give ourselves the best chance of taking it, then everyone had to be ready. No ‘ifs’, no ‘buts’ and no exceptions whatsoever. It didn’t matter if you’d made one appearance this season or 28. You had to be in a position where you could go out there and do your job if called upon.”
This just once again goes back to the mentality issue that I have covered before in the buildup to the restart of the season.
But this message takes on a little bit of a different tone when you consider the task that the Blades are up against, especially given the potential extra strain that a run in the FA Cup could bring about.
Will Osborn start more than 15 games for us next season?
Yes
No
And it’s something that will be a lot easier to do with the new rules allowing for a deeper matchday squad and more substitutions.
It’s all part of the ‘next man up’ mentality that has become prevalent in American sports, in that if a player goes down with injury, something that has become prevalent in the Bundesliga since their return to action, then there has to be someone able to come in and take up that role without it being seen as a big step up for them.
And given how close we are to European qualification, we might need all the help we can get, especially if the injury rate is anything like that of the Bundesliga.
What about you? What do you make of these comments?