Promoted Teams Analysis – Sheffield United

Promoted Teams Analysis – Sheffield United

Welcome to Promoted Teams Analysis – Sheffield United

Unlike Luton, most of us will know about Sheffield United so I won’t go into the history of the club but instead I will just go through the events since their last visit to the Premier League. Things have changed – but not everything. One thing that has changed is the man in the dugout. The last time The Blades were in the top-flight Chris Wilder was in charge of the team but since then Paul Heckingbottom has taken over the helm on a permanent basis. Heckingbottom was made interim manager before United were relegated back in 2019 but was not given the job permanently. The job was given to Slaviša Jokanović instead but he did not succed with Heckingbottom being given a proper shot at the main job and has been in charge since 2021. He brought them to the Championship playoffs in his first season before finishing in second place to achieve automatic promotion this year. Will he be able to keep them up this year? Who knows … but it will not be an easy task.

The default formation has not changed gretly since the last time in the top flight as they still use a 3-5-2 lineup. Something that has changed however is the centre-backs, who are not as underlapping as they were under Wilder. However, right centre-back Anel Ahmedhodžić gets forward at every opportunity. I will go into more detail on him later in the article.

Similarly – much like Luton in my last article – the wingbacks are vital to the attacking play of United. Heckingbottom sets the team up with the wingbacks almost playing like true wingers. The ability for the defenders to get forward relies upon the midfield providing cover and much effort in the middle areas. Sander Berge, Tommy Doyle and James McAtee were the ones with that responsibility last year and they did a wonderful job. Doyle and McAtee were on loan from Man City though so The Blades will need to find replacements for those two if their returns do not materialise.

Up top, Iliman Ndiaye is one of the star men of the team and is normally paired with Oli McBurnie.

Depending on activity in the transfer market particularly around the midfield, United may change the way they approach games and play more defensively, but the three centre-backs system, is something that I believe will remain.

Last season, Heckingbottom had the team playing a fast tempo game focusing on pressing, work rate, fitness and getting up the pitch quickly. They were the team with the third-most goals scored last season with 73 behind Burnley (87) and Middlesbrough (84). They were the second best for most attempts on the counter and third best for most attempts from set pieces. This is positive as set pieces and catching teams on the break will be key elements to them gaining points next season and staying up.

Formation – 3-5-2

Ndiaye – McBurnie
Lowe – Fleck – Norwood – Berge – Baldock
Robinson – Egan – Ahmedhodžić
Foderingham

I have put the predicted line-up above as I currently see it, but I think we need to wait for pre-season friendlies to get more solid ideas on their plans. It is believed that United won’t be too busy in the transfer market as they don’t have the funds to splash out like they did last time they came up. They might rely on loans and possibly try take McAtee and Doyle back. Midfield and attack are priority areas but I have read that they might be looking for a new goalkeeper and a left-sided centre-back too. However, on the latter, Jack Robinson has just signed a new two year contract though so this may be deemed less urgent now.

Goalkeeper and defence

Former Rangers man, Wes Foderingham (£4.5) has been a solid number one under Heckingbottom but they still might look for a new pair of gloves with Wes dropping to back-up. Last season, the experienced keeper kept 17 clean sheets from 40 starts and made 74 saves. He did not rank highly for saves but that is largely due to the defenders in front of him dealing with the problems before they got to him (some might say that is due to a goalkeeper’s organisational skillset too!). Whether they continue this characteristic in the upcoming season will largely affect the potential for save points which is typically a key factor when picking a 4.5 keeper. A stat that did worry me though is the shot-stopper was sent off twice last season. One for fighting and the other after a last-man back tackle when he messed up. Maybe something we won’t have to worry about but worth mentioning. I do think United are a good option for clean sheets this year and will prove tough to break down. The man I talk about next is the one I’d possibly be more inclined to go for though.

Last time out we had the coming of the Lord… John Lundstram. We might not get that this time around but one player I’m intrigued by is Anel Ahmedhodžić (‘Anel’ forevermore because I’m not typing out that surname again!). Anel (£4.5) has been a brilliant signing and last year he was named in the Championship team of the season. He made 32 starts, scored 6 goals and was a huge threat from set-pieces. He is a massive presence in the box and averaged a shot every 73 minutes which is close to the same rate as Trent Alexander-Arnold. Not just an attacking threat for goals, Anel grabbed 2 assists last year and was someone who got forward a lot in the 3-5-2 formation. The big down side to Anel is he likes a yellow card – he got 12 last year!

The most central of the three centre-backs is one we have reent memory of in FPL terms and that is John Egan (£4.5). The Irishman has played in the top flight before so will provide some much valuable experience for the promoted side. He is getting on in age so does have a weakness of being caught for pace and balls over the top. He led his teammates for interceptions, blocks and clearances last season which will mean he has a good chance of bonus points if the Blades to collect a clean sheet. Much like Anel, Egan is also a threat in the box and can get his head on the end of set-pieces.

The final piece of the back three puzzle is left-sided centre back, Jack Robinson (£4.5). He is the scheduled starter but isn’t the most nailed-on of the three so I won’t go into much detail on him. The former Liverpool man could be replaced by Rhys Norrington-Davies (£4.0) who may even come in as left wingback. That left side of the team is quite unpredictable, with Norrington-Davies possibly taking Max Lowe’s (£4.5) spot there.

The current right wingback is the Golden Unicorn we ALL want in FPL. We are a little spoilt for £4.0 defenders this year with Bell at Luton, Meyer at Burnley and George Baldock at Sheffield United. The Greek international (yep look it up) currently has the position in his possession and definitely upped his game as last season went on. He is defensively solid but can be let down by his final product. Crossing can be wayward but he constantly gets into good positions so, by the law of averages, he will eventually get attacking returns. In theory!

Midfield

I’m spotting a bit of a trend with the promoted teams as much like Luton, Sheffield United don’t really have any FPL friendly options. The most attacking one and probably the only midfielder I’d call an FPL option is Sander Berge (£5.0). He is 6ft 5in so is a physical midfielder who can also contribute in the attack. The Norwegian scored 6 goals and got 5 assists last season so is not a prolific scorer but can pop up with the odd return. I believed he was more of a defensive midfielder but he is actually playing the no. 8 role who does get forward. If he was 4.5mln, we could possibly consider him as a fifth midfielder but at his price tag of 5.0mln, we may have to see how he plays before pulling the trigger on him.

The other midfield spots are hard to call as they were filled by the previously mentioned Man City duo Tommy Doyle and James McAtee (both £4.5) so if they get loaned back or if a permanent deal is agreed, they could be attractive cheap enablers. McAtee is the more attacking of the duo and links up with Ndiaye well on the left side. He grabbed 5 goals and 1 assist in his last 9 games so if he does get a move here, he could be one to watch. His older brother John plays for Luton as a striker (£4.5) so maybe the younger McAtee will return Brammall Lane and hope to line-up against his brother.

Oliver Norwood (£5.0) is the other player who might start in midfield. He did lose his place to Doyle half way through the season so we don’t know if he gets it back if Doyle doesn’t return. A watch and see.

Forwards

Having listened to a few things on Sheffield United from their fans they have described the front line as being dangerously thin. Their main strikers are Iliman Ndiaye (£5.5) and Oli McBurnie (£5.5). McBurnie some might remember from the last time The Blades were in the Premier League and he was terrible. His record of 1 goal and 2 assists for a total of 44 points is not something he would have been writing home to Mama about! He did improve in the Championship last season (13G and 2A) but many people seem to think if United sign a new striker, McBurnie will be the one dropped to the bench. Other than these two, the Blades only have ex-Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster (£5.0). He though is struggling with ongoing injuries and behind him is a lot of yet-unproven youngsters. This all suggests that a striker is a top priority for Heckingbottom’s team.

Ndiaye was a standout performer for his team last season for his overall contribution to the promotion. He not only scored 14 goals himself but assisted 10 more goals for his teammates. Twenty four goal contributions puts him right up there in the League statistics from last season. Within the club, McBurnie was next closest with his 15 contributions. Ndiaye has been priced similarly to Carlton Morris at Luton both being 5.5 and with how vital they are to their teams attacking prospects I, for one, think they are underpriced. Most prediction sites had Ndiaye at 6.5 or at a minimum of 6 but those geniuses in the FPL towers have been nice with prices this year.

(A little aside: I actually think they haven’t just been gentle with the prices but they have actually got it correct this year. Lots of different options and choices to be made . . . goodbye template?)

Back to Sheffield United! Ndiaye tends to play alongside a partner in the 3-5-2 formation but can play on his own if Heckingbottom decides to switch things up. McBurnie actually had more shots than Ndiaye last year (85 v 70) with more in the box (79 v 59) but Ndiaye had more chances (51 v 20) so this points to McBurnie shooting every few minutes but Ndiaye, when getting chances, ends up passing it off to someone else or losing the ball. Something for the eyes to check during the friendlies.

As mentioned, United scored the third most goals (73) last season behind Burnley and Middlesbrough. Most of their goals coming at home with 47. Their home form was immense winning 16, drawing 3 and losing 4. Looking at the underlying stats their xG (expected goals) was better than Burnley’s and only just behind ‘Boro.

Can they continue this in the Premier League? I don’t think so but I don’t think will be pushovers. Where will the goals come from? I personally think most will be from their defenders – Robinson, Egan and Anel are monsters in the box and they were the best at set-pieces in the Championship last season. If United do sign a striker this might change – with ex-Huddersfield man, Steve Mounie (wow) – being linked but for now, it’s an area of their team I would avoid.

My top three for The Blades are:

1. Anel Ahmedhodzic
2. Iliman Ndiaye
3. George Baldock

Thanks for reading Promoted Teams Analysis – Sheffield United. This article was written by Matt X.

Follow @MattyMcveigh