Chris Wilder opens up on Sheffield United formation plan as Blades boss admits key tactical problem pre-Wolves
Chris Wilder has outlined his tactical thinking for Sheffield United after a hectic opening to the Championship season and the loss of key man Callum O’Hare
Chris Wilder made so many tactical tweaks in Sheffield United’s midweek win at Blackburn Rovers that some in the press box were wondering if an Alf Ramsey-style wingless wonders or old-school 2-3-5 was next up. And the Blades boss will carry on experimenting as he looks to get his side to fully click.
What looked like a 4-4-2 at Ewood Park eventually became a back three in possession and a back five out of it. Ben Brereton Diaz drifted off the left at times, the Blades finished with three in midfield and the outcome was a second win of the season, a ninth point from six games.
United are still some way from where they want to be but so is about half of the division. United prepare for this Sunday’s home clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers, their stiffest test yet, two points off leaders West Ham United in the early Championship table.
A lack of a No.10 option, after Callum O’Hare’s deadline-day move to Wrexham, has limited United’s tactical flexibility but they have enough midfielders, when all are fit, to play with three, and Rhys Norrington-Davies’ flexibility, along with Liam Kitching’s arrival, could also lend itself to a back three.
“We've got all different ways of playing,” said Wilder. “We're not stuck in a certain way. It's going to be a game-by-game approach, I believe, especially up to the September international break.
“We'd like to work at different things. But when you lose Cal, you might have to work at a different formation or a different way of playing.”
The returns from injury of Tahith Chong and Ryan One will bolster United’s options while Femi Seriki is also still to return after picking up a knee injury last month. The bonus for Wilder is that many of his players are tactically smart enough to adapt their roles, depending on the opposition and the situation of any game.
“The difficulty is always how much time we have to work on something,” Wilder added. “Just say I wanted to go and play three centre-halves or a 4-3-3, for example. We’ve played five games in two weeks and there's hardly any time to put in the work we needed.
“It means the players have to be flexible as well, but you would like more than one day to work at something. And hopefully that will be the case in the international break with the players that we've got.”