Sport
Sheffield United in danger of succumbing to second season syndrome
Few expected Sheffield United to be afflicted by the dreaded second season syndrome. The Blades were one of the greatest success stories of the 2019/20 campaign, finishing in the top half of the Premier League table. It was more than just Sheffield United’s results that caught the eye, though.
Chris Wilder’s side provided one of the most interesting tactical case studies in the Premier League last season. Sheffield United’s overlapping centre backs in particular forced football thinkers to reconsider what a centre back’s purpose is in a team. The Blades were good to watch, more than holding their own against clubs with bigger budgets and greater expectations
It was Wilder’s system that led many to predict Sheffield United would once again stay well clear of the relegation scrap at the foot of the Premier League table this season. The Blades were more than the sum of their parts last term and so it was reasonable to presume not even a dip in form from some players would be enough to sink them.
Such presumptions have been proven incorrect, though, with Sheffield United currently rock bottom of the Premier League table with just one point from their opening 10 fixtures and sinking in front of an empty Bramall Lane. Wilder’s side are six points from safety and there are scant signs their form is about to turn around any time soon. Indeed, second season syndrome is no longer a threat for Sheffield United but a grim reality.
Injuries have hindered the Blades, with Jack O’Connell desperately missed this season. John Fleck and Enda Stevens have also spent spells on the sidelines but it’s O’Connell who has been more notable in his absence, with Sheffield United lacking balance without the 26-year-old on the left side of their defence.
O’Connell was key to the way Sheffield United focused much of their possession play down the left side of the pitch last season. Without him, the Blades’ play has been much more congested through the middle. They have been easier to defend against, going some way to explain the lack of goals.
Sheffield United have scored just four times in their first 10 league fixtures this season. Of course, the Blades lacked a true goalscorer last season, with Lys Mousset and Oli McBurnie their joint-top scorers with just six goals each. Wilder attempted to add more firepower to his squad through the signing of Rhian Brewster, but the Liverpool academy graduate has yet to settle into his new surroundings at Brammall Lane.
Fortune has not been on Sheffield United’s side recently, with McBurnie and Mousset both spurning golden opportunities in the 1-0 loss to West Brom on Saturday. Had one of those opportunities been converted, the outlook would be much brighter for the Blades. With every damaging defeat, though, the situation becomes graver.
“We’ve got to give ourselves a fighting chance and we don’t want to end up being detached at the bottom,” Wilder explained recently, accepting the challenge of the fight against relegation. “Seventeenth place is all we’ve got eyes for, and I think people will understand my realism in that. “I get that people come out with all sorts of stats, saying that teams with no wins in 10 usually go down. But we have to keep on believing and we do believe.”
Wilder and the Sheffield United players will need more than belief to reverse their predicament, though, and overcome second season syndrome. The early return of O’Connell, which is reportedly on the cards, would do a lot to change the landscape at Brammall Lane. The integration of Brewster as a true goalscorer would also help, with the 20-year-old highly rated.
The Blades will always have to punch above their weight to stay in the Premier League, such is the financial disparity between Sheffield United and the clubs around them. Nonetheless, Wilder’s system and ideas were meant to bridge that gap. What’s become clear is the Blades boss still needs the right players to implement those ideas.
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