Sheffield United's hierarchy have an objective they can't ignore after Chris Wilder warning
Sheffield United are struggling to create chances following the departures of three such influential figures during the summer transfer window.
Having had a direct hand in 41 of Sheffield United’s 66 Championship goals last season, the Blades were always going to feel the impact of losing Andre Brooks, Gustavo Hamer and Callum O’Hare.
The trio were so often at the heart of anything good United did last season, highlighted by the fact that they were involved in more than 62 per cent of the club’s league goals.
Their quality meant that Norwich City, Coventry City and Wrexham were respectively prepared to stump up the cash to extract each of them from Bramall Lane. Unfortunately for boss Chris Wilder and the fans, they were not directly replaced, leaving the Blades short on quality and creativity.
United’s opening eight Championship outings this season have yielded just two victories, meaning they are spending this international break 18th in the table, four points above the relegation zone. Additionally, only five teams have scored fewer goals than the Blades’ nine so far this season.
Although United, on paper at least, have a decent crop of strikers that many Championship clubs would be satisfied to have, they are bereft of any real creativity behind the front line. United’s squad is awash with central midfielders, but none of them are attack-minded players, meaning the supply line is struggling to create chances for the forwards.
The Blades have created a non-penalty xG (expected goals) of just 6.88 so far this season, with only Charlton Athletic recording a lower figure, at 5.89. United have also registered the lowest number of shots in the Championship so far this term, recording just 65.
Chance creation is proving problematic, but what can you expect when a team has been stripped of its chief architects? Hamer, Brooks and O’Hare registered 21 assists between them in the Championship last term.
With United now sorely missing their creativity and ability to progress the ball, they are struggling to make things happen at the business end of the pitch. For example, when it comes to build-up attacks, which are defined as open-play sequences that contain 10+ passes and either end in a shot or have at least one touch in the opposition’s box, United have registered a Championship-low of just three.
When it comes to direct attacks, which cover the number of open-play sequences that start just inside a team’s own half, have at least 50 per cent of their movement towards the opposition’s goal and end in a shot or a touch in the opposition’s box, United have managed just two.
Those two statistics alone highlight why United are missing the likes of Brooks, Hamer and O’Hare so much. They were the link between the midfield and the frontmen, and United are now desperately missing their creativity.
Having raised a substantial amount of money from the departures of the aforementioned trio, United fans were frustrated not to see that money reinvested during the summer in permanent additions, with Wilder forced to rely on free transfers and loans.
However, just as Wilder admitted recently, United’s hierarchy cannot continue to sell key assets and fail to reinvest.
“The remit, like we talked about, was to take the wage bill down and to raise some money,” said Wilder. “I don't think, from speaking to the owner, that this will happen every year, because it can't happen.
“You can't keep selling because eventually you've got nothing to sell. So we have to invest.
“Who knows what's around the corner? Who knows what's happening in January? We're trying to get to January and pick up points and try and get into a bit of a rhythm, keeping people fit, getting them the minutes that they need physically as well.”
Although nobody knows what position United will be in come the January transfer window, they are going to have to prioritise adding some creativity to their ranks. They are bereft of quality in that department, and it is reflected in both the key metrics and the eye test.
Sitting bottom across multiple key metrics because of the departures of key players who have not been replaced only invites further criticism of the owners.