Sheffield United skipper Billy Sharp got himself on the scoresheet against Bristol City today and then hinted that things under Slavisa Jokanovic hadn’t been quite right.
The United skipper came off the bench to do what he does best against the Robins. Sharp poked him David McGoldrick’s fine centre to seal the game late on for the Blades.
It was a sixth of the season for Sharp, who continues to defy his years to be a key player for United. Under Slavisa Jokanovic, Sharp had also been a key player, albeit as a lone striker most of the time.
And speaking after the game today, Sharp suggested that certain things weren’t at the level they should have been under the Serbian.
Standards
Billy Sharp has been there and done it all with Sheffield United. He’s been here as a kid, been back when things were poor under Nigel Adkins and Bryan Robson, and then enjoyed the glory years of Chris Wilder.
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And according to Sharp, the standards in training had slipped under the guidance of Slavisa Jokanovic.
“Every single day counts. I spoke about it to the other manager (Jokanovic) that the standards in training have not been as good as they should be. It leads on to a game so we’ve got to be at each other every single day,” Sharp told Andy Giddings after the win against Bristol.
“It’s individual standards day in, day out. The manager two managers ago (Chris Wilder) always used to drive on about it. If someone’s not doing it making sure they’re pulling their weight. I think we’re starting to get standards back.”
Sharp is certainly in a position to call the Blades players out on standards at the club. The skipper has the experience and love for the club to know when things aren’t right.
Our View: Clearly Something Wasn’t Right Under Jokanovic
This will probably be as big of a hint we’ll get about what was going wrong under Slavisa Jokanovic. But Sharp’s comments here marry up with the performances we were seeing on a weekend.
If training is not at 100% and players are dipping below the required level, then that transfers into slack matchday efforts. Thankfully, it seems like the United squad might have nipped it in the bud a bit.
Heckingbottom said in midweek some players might get moved on in January. You can only assume it will be the ones who aren’t pulling their weight like Sharp mentions here.