SHEFFIELD UNITED

LAST SEASON

CHAMPIONSHIP 2nd FA CUP Third Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Billy Sharp (24)

CAN THEY STICK TO THEIR PRINCIPLES AND SURVIVE?

DANNY HALL @DANNYHALL04

It’s the question that has been on the lips of most Blades fans since Sheffield United pipped rivals Leeds to a place in the Premier League. Their huge success under Chris Wilder has been based on his wise recruitment, his fostering of an unshakeable team spirit, and his ability to raise a player’s ceiling to dizzy new heights – but there’s no doubt that it’s also attributable to an innovative, exciting and even downright baffling 3-5-2 formation.

For the uninitiated, it’s unlike anything ever seen before. Under Wilder, United’s wing-backs operate like wingers – nothing too leftfield there are tasked with overlapping, getting into advanced areas and creating overloads. And they almost always are centre-halves – not full-backs who have been moved over into a new position, as was the case with Kyle Walker and England at the World Cup.