Chris Wilder identifies unwanted Sheffield United "trait" that appears to be biggest threat to safety bid

Chris Wilder and his Sheffield United coaching staff are looking into the reasons for an unwanted "trait" that is hampering the Blades' bid for Premier League survival this season. Wilder's men travel to Wolves on Sunday bottom of the table but are currently level on points with second-bottom Burnley and seven behind fourth-bottom Everton.

But their struggles this season largely stem from their defensive issues, with no club in Premier League history conceding more goals in their first 25 games than United's current tally of 65. Saturday's 5-0 defeat at home to Brighton was the third Bramall Lane game in succession in which United have shipped five goals, in a season which has already seen an 8-0 shellacking against Newcastle followed by 5-0 scorelines away at Arsenal and Burnley.

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While the number of goals United are shipping is understandably a concern, Wilder is also troubled by the manner of some of them and, more particularly, United's habit of shipping quickfire goals soon after being breached by the opposition. On Saturday Brighton scored their first two goals in the space of five first-half minutes, and goals three and four in the 75th and 78 minutes.

Earlier in the season United shipped four goals in 18 minutes against Newcastle, while Burnley scored their final three in seven minutes at Turf Moor in what proved to be Paul Heckingbottom's final game in charge. The trend continued against Spurs (90+8 and 90+10), Arsenal (two in eight minutes), Chelsea (two in seven minutes) and Luton (two in four minutes, both United own goals) before Villa went 3-0 up at Bramall Lane inside 20 minutes and last weekend's Brighton clash saw the habit continue.

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"It was one of the huge disappointing aspects of the Villa game," Wilder said. "We talked at half-time about ‘This is this is us now, no goals coming in’ and then we conceded after about 50 seconds at the start of the second half. We wanted to stay in the [Brighton] game until 75 to 80 minutes and then I'd take that decision when to open up.

"We talked about it in that period and then a trend and a trait, which is not good and not great and I think statistically just takes the game away, is the concession of quick-fire goals which has happened too many times now. It happened obviously against Villa, it happened today. One and two in quick succession, three and four in quick succession.

"It’s something that we have to do so much better, and where does that come from? Does it come from experience, does it come from leadership? We’re trying to work it out but certainly, from an attitude point of view, this is really hurting us in terms of that sort of trend. Which is obviously there to be seen. It’s an attitude, basically, at times, just keep the ball out of the back of their net. And we didn't do it then."