Ruben Selles makes Sheffield United changes plan as boss searches for answers to mounting questions
Ruben Selles makes Sheffield United changes plan as boss searches for answers to mounting questions
Ruben Selles is considering a much-needed change of formation as he searches for the solution to Sheffield United’s current woes at Ipswich Town tomorrow night. The Blades make the long trip to Portman Road still looking for the first win of the Selles era.
The Spaniard faced increased calls for his head after defeat at Middlesbrough before the international break, his fifth in five competitive games since succeeding Chris Wilder at the helm earlier this summer.
But Selles survived the two-week hiatus and was backed by his bosses in the latter stages of the transfer window, with four more incomings on deadline day further increasing the options at Selles’ disposal.
A plethora of options at centre-half, following the arrivals of Ben Godfrey, Japhet Tanganga, Mark McGuinness, Nils Zatterstrom and Ben Mee later in the window, have led to suggestions that a back three shape could suit United, freeing up Femi Seriki and Harrison Burrows as wing-backs.
Selles and his coaching staff must also find a way to return star man Gus Hamer to the influential best we saw last season while Tyrese Campbell has too often been left on the periphery of games this term, with United unable to give him any consistent and meaningful service.
“Well, obviously the first thing that we did after the last game finished was to deeply analyse our performances in the first four games,” said Selles ahead of the Ipswich clash. “In terms of the games, and what has been going in the direction that we want and what has not, obviously, but also in terms of statistics and clips.
Ruben Selles makes Sheffield United changes plan as boss searches for answers to mounting questions
“After that deep analysis, we went to a conclusion that we need to adjust and adapt what we do. Not only to the next opponent, but also for the future. If that transformation is a change of formation or not, we will see it on Friday night.
“The way that we work is, first of all, we get the facts about: 'What have we been?' And the facts are really clear. We have been one of the teams that are more dominant in possession in the division but don't threaten in the final third enough or allow the opposition to defend with more players in their own box.
“So that makes creating a chance more difficult for us. So that means that we need to find a way to be more vertical and to make our attacks faster if we need to avoid the opponent just setting up their defence.
“That has been, for example, one of the things. And then for that, we will obviously analyse the methodology. We analyse the shape and the position. We analyse the personnel and we analyse how we can create a platform. Those have been the four steps.”
United may, as Selles claims, be one of the most possession-dominant teams in the Championship but that only places further scrutiny on other statistics behind their shocking start. They have scored one goal in four Championship games, Campbell’s strike on the opening day against Bristol City, from 50 shots. Every other club in the EFL is on the scoreboard at least twice this term.
Their attacking bluntness is not even offset by a robust defence, with only three more second-tier sides conceding more shots on target so far. But for a stand-out performance by debutant Tanganga at Boro, United’s margin of defeat could have been far greater than the single goal.
Selles has form for changing styles, having altered his approach at Reading and Hull City. “But variations can mean multiple things,” he added. “Whether it's changing the formation, changing the personnel, a little bit of everything. Or just to stay where we are, but with some different adjustments in the same formation.”
All eyes on the teamsheet 75 minutes before kick-off at Portman Road, then, as Selles searches for the answers to an ever-growing list of questions.