Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder faced the national media ahead of his sides meeting with Carlo Ancelotti's high-flying Everton on Boxing Day.
The phrase 'must win' doesn't normally get thrown around until the final weeks of the season, but the truth is, Wilder's men will be looking at every single one of their upcoming fixtures as a cup final.
The blades currently sit bottom of the Premier League, after failing to win any of their fourteen games so far this season - the worst start made by any side during the Premier League's era.
Wilder spoke about injuries, transfer targets and the upcoming test of Everton
Injury Updates
Wilder started off proceedings by providing an injury update on both Oliver McBurnie and Sander Berge.
Berge came off early in last weeks defeat to Manchester United, and the Blades will now have to try and push themselves up the table without one of their star men.
“Oli (McBurnie) is really touch and go for the next 3 games.
''Sander had an operation on his tendon. A huge blow for us with him being out between 3/4 months.”
Wilder also confirmed Lys Mousset had also picked up a knock following his return from a long-term lay off, but suggested he may still play a part on Saturday.
''Lys had a reaction last week to his ankle. He’s not really in a position to start''
A positive reaction more from the squad
After a disappointed performance against Southampton two weeks ago, Wilder insisted he was happy with the reaction his side produced in their next two matches. Although they only managed to pick up one point out of the six on offer, it felt like it a potential turning point for the Blades, especially Sunday's game against Brighton.
''Southampton really upset and disappointed myself. It wasn’t us. I wanted a reaction. You saw that we got one. We rolled that into Brighton and we need to roll it into the Boxing Day clash against Everton.”
Possible January reinforcements
He also spoke about the difficulties of trying to recruit new players half way through a campaign. Wilder spoke of his plans to bring in a few new faces in January, in order to give his squad a boost in their attempt to beat the drop.
"It's not going to be 3 and 4, it'll be a couple. It's quite a difficult window. There always going to be a push from me to get it done straight away, but it's not as easy of that."
Confident Lundstram will stay put for now
On the topic of the January transfer window Wilder confirmed that the club have received no offers for central midfielder John Lundstram. The 26-year old is out of contract at the end of the current campaign, his future has been much discussed since last summer, when he and the club failed to agree terms on a new deal.
"I don't think John will go in this window.
"But my phone hasn't rang once regarding John, so I don't think he moves in this window.
"I don't think he will go until his contract runs down at the end of the season."
On the Everton test
Ancelotti's Everton have been one of the leagues surprise packages this season, as they currently sit fourth in the table. The Italian marked one year in-charge at Goodison Park last week with three huge wins against Chelsea, Leicester and Arsenal.
The mood is different this year on the blue half of Merseyside, with many fans being optimistic of their chances of breaking into the Champions League spaces for the first team in nearly 15 years.
Wilder was full of praise for the the Toffees.
''A huge football club that has been in and around the top 10 for years and have been adding quality players for years.
''They have attracted one of the best managers in world football and for him to go there tells its own story. He’s not going to mess around with recruitment, he’s going to go there and bring in some world class players and they have got that.
''They had a fabulous start and they lost a couple of tight games, which happens in the PL, and they have come roaring back. This is what we are up against and we have to produce a big performance and the players know that that can change their season.''