CAN THEY STICK TO THEIR PRINCIPLES AND SURVIVE?
DANNY HALL @DANNYHALL04
It’s the question that has been on the lips of most Blades fans since Sheffield United pipped rivals Leeds to a place in the Premier League. Their huge success under Chris Wilder has been based on his wise recruitment, his fostering of an unshakeable team spirit, and his ability to raise a player’s ceiling to dizzy new heights – but there’s no doubt that it’s also attributable to an innovative, exciting and even downright baffling 3-5-2 formation.
For the uninitiated, it’s unlike anything ever seen before. Under Wilder, United’s wing-backs operate like wingers – nothing too leftfield there – but then the centre-halves are tasked with overlapping, getting into advanced areas and creating overloads. And they almost always are centre-halves – not full-backs who have been moved over into a new position, as was the case with Kyle Walker and England at the World Cup.
It’s a system that United adopted early in Wilder’s tenure at Bramall Lane. When they first tried it, they were bottom of League One. Two promotions in three years suggests it’s certainly done the trick.
But can it work in the Premier League? There’s no reason why not – Wilder’s players said as much when asked that question after promotion. The key will be knowing how, and when, to tweak the tactic. It might not be a good idea to commit centre-backs forward at Manchester City, for instance; John Egan, usually the only ‘defender’ left behind (with the indispensable Ollie Norwood protecting him from midfield), did well last season, but a breaking Sergio Aguero, Leroy Sané and Raheem Sterling may pose a bigger problem. In home games, though, which will provide the Blades’ best opportunities, why deviate?
The same goes for Wilder’s recruitment strategy. The £4m spent on Egan in 2018, barely even a pittance in the Premier League, was the biggest outlay in United’s history, and Wilder went into this summer expecting to break that transfer record at least once – but acquiring QPR’S Luke Freeman for around £5m was a very shrewd way of doing that. There’ll be no mercenaries arriving. A homecoming for Phil Jagielka, 37 this month, shows Wilder’s commitment to signing players with the right values; Ravel Morrison had to impress on trial to earn a one-year deal, and he could be a cunning punt.
Wilder is very much his own man, but he’s also a big admirer of Eddie Howe. And Bournemouth have shown that success in the Premier League, on your own terms, is more than a pipe dream.