Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder says they must regroup during the international break after defeat to Chelsea.
The Blades were thumped 4-1 by the Blues on Saturday.
Wilder said, "We have to look at the opposition - we're never going to dominate possession or have big periods of us on the ball so service is back to front because these teams press well and have energy. It's the best league in the world and the best players in the world.
"I'm not too critical of my players, when we do close the gap against these kind of teams we have to be on top of our game. Keep possession, get a foot hold in the game and have a structure out of possession. We're plugging a gap at left centre-half after losing Jack O'Connell but we have to get on with it. Our fate in this division will not be decided against the big teams like Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City, it will be decided in the 10 or so games now in the run up to Christmas.
"You have to clear your head when you get a defeat and a bloody nose as we have done today, three boys are now going off on international duty, so there's a few days off for the other boys. I don't like teams when they talk about team spirit, it's easy when you're winning to talk about team spirit and be all pally but this is where we really get tested."
