Sheffield United's defensive record this season has been impressive.
Not quite as impressive as promotion rivals Burnley – who have conceded an impressive nine goals in 28 games – but scoring 18 goals in 28 games is impressive nonetheless. In fact, the third best team in the top four divisions of English football.
What makes it even more satisfying for the Blades and their fans is that it comes after a season in which they set Premier League records for all the wrong reasons.
It is their name that goes down in the history books alongside the records for the most goals conceded in a single season (104), the most goals conceded at home in a season (57), and the worst goal difference at home (-38). The worst goal difference is (-69, shared with Derby in the 2007/08 season).
Sheffield United were relegated from the English Premier League last season
Friday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m
Departure at 8:00 pm
Sky SportsDan Long spares Chris Wilder a reminder of last term's horrific numbers while chatting via Zoom – but the Blades boss bristles when asked how much damage relegation has caused. “Oh, please don't!”
He promised that the conversation would take a positive direction after that.
“I was happy when we trailed 5-0 at half-time against Arsenal,” he jokes. “It was a great feeling.”
“When they outplay us and are 4-0 down after 20 minutes against Villa and Brighton and things like that, it hurts.
“But when you live it, every game on and off and you see the rigors of the division and how teams find those moments of quality, that makes it the best division in the world – and it's exposed when it's not. Good enough.
“It's a tough place to be in, quite a lonely place for a coach as well. But I've been in the game long enough to know this won't last forever and we need to reset in the summer.”
As part of the reset, the back line changed – almost completely – in the summer. “A clean swab,” as Wilder put it.
The back six – Wes Fodringham, Jayden Bogle, Anel Ahmadhodzic, Auston Trusty, Jack Robinson and Max Lowe – became a back five on the final day of the 2023/24 season – Michael Cooper, Alfie Gilchrist, Harry Souttar, Ahmadhodzic and Harrison Burrows. 1-0 win over Watford in the first match after the close of the summer transfer window.
Bogle and Trusty were sold to Leeds and Celtic respectively, Lowe joined Steel City rivals Sheffield Wednesday on a free and Foderingham did the same at West Ham.
The style of play is also different, with the back four being used almost exclusively.
“We never designed our group to be a counter-attacking team that attacks players on the counter-attack; we want to control the ball and we want to create chances,” says Wilder.
“I don't think it's the old school, I just think it's the right school where you have to get both sides right and get off the ball, we had to get through that to give ourselves a chance of winning games, which is what we did.
“Of course, we understand the different levels we play at and we are not punished as harshly in this division as in the Premier League. We are still proud of the work that continues and we need to keep this happening.
“There were a lot of people who were expecting us to qualify for the Championship and perhaps end up in League One, where we were a few years ago, so in order to stop that slide and get the feel-good factor back into the football club, start winning football matches. Football was a positive thing, not only for me, the coaches or the players, but most importantly for the fans.
“They have seen a team that plays with passion, that plays with commitment, pride and character, and that plays with organization as well, which I'm sure they are happy to see.”
Even if there was one player, Wilder is not the type of player who would reveal the secret to the success of the first 28 matches of the season.
But it has its basic components, so to speak; The foundations on which everything is built.
“You need an attitude to be a team player,” he continues. “Everyone has a job to do, whether it's getting the wingers back, getting the forwards back into solid form, the midfielders' recoveries, setting up plays against – and just a general attitude to keep the ball out of the net.
“It's a very simplistic way to put it, but sometimes it comes down to it. How is your behavior in training? If it's a small game, do you want to win? Do you want to keep the ball out? Back of the net Do you want to make the recovery that?
“If you have that attitude within you, you give yourself a chance to win football matches.
“We're not excited, we don't want it to be a basketball game. There are times when we get attacked and we have to deal with it, and we want to go and punish teams as well.”
“I don't think there's any secret to it. You want to be the best at what you want to do. You want to be the best at set-pieces. I heard Mikel Arteta talking about that; they want to be the best team for counterattacks, transitions, defending, attacking, And xG – that's what you're trying to target.
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Swansea City and Sheffield United.
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Rhian Brewster scored against his former club Swansea, as the Blades won 2-1 in South Wales earlier this week.
“The players’ attitude, acceptance and enthusiasm to approach things individually to be better and as a team is always a great asset to have. We have players who want to be better individually and we hope this will lead us to be that.” Better team overall.
“Behind all that, you need a goalkeeper who can make great saves, and Michael (Cooper) certainly did that this season when he was called up, which is crucial.”
“We had Dean Henderson here, and I talk about Dean with a lot of fondness. From a character standpoint, he's a very different character to Michael, but what Michael is doing now is what Dean did for us that season.” (Promoted from Championship in 2018/19).
“There's still a long way to go, and there's still a lot of work to do, but we're in a great place.”
Watford and Preston together hold the record for the fewest goals scored in a Championship season. The Hornets have conceded just 30 goals in 46 games during their 2020/21 promotion campaign, which equates to just 0.65 goals per game. North End did the same in the 2005/06 season, before eventually losing to Leeds in the play-off semi-finals.
The Blades are currently averaging 0.68 per game, but Burnley are on course to break the record with just 0.32 per game at the moment.
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The Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast panel looks at Sheffield United's promotional push and what they may need to add in January.
Regardless, he's not on Wilder's radar.
“This is something you can enjoy!” He answers. “If you look back, look at how many points you need to get to the playoffs; last year, we know three teams got more than 90 points, which is an incredible achievement.
“Sometimes you see and identify that maybe you need to score over 75 goals and you need to concede under 45 if you want a successful season, so we're on track to hopefully have a good season, but you never know.
“There are a lot of difficult matches and you need a little luck sometimes, but you need players to make big decisions and sometimes one decision is enough to win a football match.
“From a coach's point of view, you would like things to be more relaxed sometimes, but just getting over the line sometimes is the key. Sometimes we enjoy the 1-0 as much as we enjoy the free flow. The 2-0s or 3-0s that might be You have it in one season.
“You just have to keep your head down and go from game to game, and along the way, if we can continue to push those numbers and improve on all fronts, then throughout the season, we will try and that has to be the big ambition and the big goal.”
The main goal, of course, is automatic promotion. Wilder has taken the Blades out of League One and the Championship before, and he would not turn down another promotion.
Five points separate the top four – Leeds, Sheffield United, Burnley and Sunderland – ahead of Friday night's match, but Wilder is concerned more will join the race.
“We are judged on winning football matches, so we have to win football matches,” he says.
“I have to say, I think there are other clubs involved in the mix as well that can come out of nowhere. Some of these clubs can win six, seven, eight games in a row and, all of a sudden, the landscape changes dramatically for those teams.
“Of course, you enjoy the position because it means you are doing something right, the players are doing something right and we are winning football games, so we want to continue like this.
“We've worked hard to get into this situation and we have to accept it. You can't hide from it, it's everywhere. Whenever you turn on the TV, go online or whatever, it's there. We have to accept it and definitely enjoy it.”
