Sheffield United should not be battling relegation in the Championship this season but aiming for the playoffs.
Rickie Lambert of Southampton celebrates promotion after his side’s 4-0 victory during the npower Championship match against Coventry City.
Not since Southampton in 2012 has a club achieved back-to-back promotion to go from League One to the Premier League, with Norwich City having done the same the previous year.
Yet Sheffield United are arguably in a great position to emulate the feat in 2017/18, having been promoted in May after six years in the third tier of English football.
Billy Sharp of Sheffield United celebrates during the Sky Bet Championship match against Barnsley.
The Blades are currently tenth in the table after four matches, having beaten Barnsley and Brentford and narrowly losing to promotion favourites Middlesbrough and Cardiff City.
Two clean-sheets and three goals conceded so far is one of the key reasons the South Yorkshire club could realistically finish in the playoffs this term, with their solidity in defence the basis for success.
United operate in what is increasingly becoming a fashionable 3-5-2 formation, but having won the League One title with 100 points in 2016/17 using the same system, the players are used to it and play in a fluid style as a result.
Chris Wilder, manager of Sheffield United.
While the wing-backs can drop in to make a five-man back line when defending, manager Chris Wilder also allows his centre-backs to get forward when attacking, which gives the team great mobility. Captain Billy Sharp has scored their only two league goals so far this campaign, but that is not for the lack of chances.
Wilder has also been sensible in the transfer market, spending wisely to recruit the likes of Nathan Thomas, Enda Stevens and John Lundstram from the lower divisions, while mixing that with the experience of Richard Stearman and top tier youth in Jamal Blackman.
These new additions are being blooded gradually, though, and have not signalled an overhaul of the players that earned them promotion; making the transition into the Championship a lot smoother.
Rather than battling to avoid the drop the Blades could well be gunning for the top six.
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