Often, the hardest task when gaining promotion to the Premier League is avoiding instant relegation, though the Blades made a mockery of this statement in the 2019/20 Premier League campaign.
Sheffield United were relegated from the Premier League in the 2006/07 season under Neil Warnock and would return to the top flight 12 years later under Chris Wilder.
The years that would follow Sheffield United’s relegation from the Premier League in 2007 would consist of heartache and decline.
The Blades would reach the Championship play-off final in the 2008/09 campaign, and were just 90 minutes away from a return to the top flight. They would, however, fall short, losing 1-0 to Burnley in a game which would see the Blades finish the match with nine players.
Narrowly missing out on the play-off spots in the 2009/10 season, finishing eighth, the 2010/11 season saw Sheffield United drop to League One for the first time since 2004.
On 12th May 2016, Wilder was appointed to push his boyhood club back in the right direction. Despite little financial backing, Sheffield United would record a first place finish in Wilder’s first season in charge, returning to the Championship for the 2017/18 term.
Wilder would need just two seasons to guide the club back to the Premier League, earning automatic promotion in the 2018/19 campaign, finishing second with 89 points.
To be voted for by your peers to get this award is just unbelievable and caps off an incredible season for me and everybody at Sheffield United. I would like to think we have struck a blow for recruitment, training ground, teaching and all the other stuff which goes on behind the scenes – there is no chequebook culture.
- Chris Wilder after winning manager of the year at the League Managers Association awards, following promotion to the Premier League
Embarking on a new challenge, the Blades would welcome 15 players on permanent deals, including the likes of the highly rated Sander Berge, Frenchman Lys Mousset and experienced Phil Jagielka.
That said, only a handful of players would make a significant impact in Sheffield United’s return to the top flight.
Survival in the Premier League was expected to be a task, with a squad that many thought would only be able to compete in the Championship.
How wrong they were.
While often it takes managers time to establish their best XI upon promotion to the Premier League, Wilder was able to nail his selection in relatively quick time.
The 5-3-2 formation was a staple for Wilder’s Sheffield United, providing a compact low-block when out of possession and allowing for fast transitions when regaining possession.
Wilder would introduce a new concept to the Premier League which to everyday football watchers may have seemed strange, but undoubtedly troubled some of the league’s giants. Overlapping central defenders.
Sheffield United’s back three usually consisted of John Egan, Chris Basham and Jack O’Connell, with Egan taking the central role of the three.
When the Blades reached the final third, often the wing-back would invert into a more central role, leaving space for the wide centre backs to fill.
Not only would this confuse the opposition, but it would create an overload on either side, allowing Sheffield United to gain a numerical advantage.
George Baldock and Enda Stevens were integral to the Blades’ success in the 2019/20 campaign, registering 11 goal contributions between the two, meaning one of the two wing-backs was directly involved in approximately 28% of Sheffield United’s goals.
There is a common misconception that promoted teams who introduce fewer first-team signings will be worse off, and Sheffield United proved this.
John Fleck, Oli Norwood and John Lundstram were constants in the Blades’ XI throughout the 2018/19 Championship campaign, and this remained the case in the top flight. Wilder’s loyalty was rewarded, with each player featuring in at least 30 Premier League games that season.
While Wilder wasn’t blessed with an embarrassment of riches in the forward department, Oli McBurnie, Lys Mousset, Billy Sharp and David McGoldrick managed to combine for 18 goals in the 2019/20 Premier League term, with McBurnie and Mousset leading the way with six each.
A team that on paper doesn’t scream outstanding, nor flashy, recorded a remarkable ninth place finish, conceding just 39 goals along the way.
We do a lot of work on the shape, a lot of drills focused on getting the ball wide, on overlapping, on creating overloads and getting the triangles right. We work a lot on the strikers’ movement and getting midfielders into the box.
- John Lundstram speaking to Sky Sports in 2019
They ran forward, they ran back, they defended as a team. You look at the appetite and desire of everyone in the football club and there's a feeling of relentlessness about them. They were bang on it from a mental aspect.
- Chris Wilder speaking to Sky Sports following the conclusion of the 2019/20 season
The Blades would kick off their campaign with an eight-hour round trip to the south coast, where they would take on Bournemouth. While club legend Sharp was resorted to the bench, he still had his say, netting an 88th-minute equaliser to earn his side a point.
Bramall Lane would welcome Crystal Palace next, in Sheffield United’s first home game in the Premier League since 13th May 2007, where they lost 2-1 to Wigan. Wilder’s men would christen a return to top flight action in Sheffield with a 1-0 victory over the Eagles, thanks to a goal from Lundstram.
While the Blades would fail to win any of their next three games, a 2-2 draw away at Chelsea demonstrated immense spirit. Entering the break 2-0 down, Wilder’s side looked well on their way to recording a second consecutive league defeat.
Sheffield United would fight back, however, with Callum Robinson’s goal in the 46th minute igniting a sense of belief. Kurt Zouma’s 89 minute own goal sparked bedlam in the away end, as the Blades took home an invaluable point.
Defeat to Leicester City and Southampton was frustrating, but their start to the season, conceding just six goals in five games, was promising.
Goodison Park was up next for Sheffield United, and they could sense that the Toffees were there for the taking. The travelling Blades were rewarded with a 2-0 victory, and their second win of the season.
It was their turn to host the Liverpudlians the following week, but this time round they would face Jurgen Klopp’s league leaders Liverpool, who had won all six of their league games prior to this one.
Undoubtedly their toughest test of the season, a Dean Henderson error was the only thing separating the two sides. The Blades demonstrated, in front of the TV cameras, that a trip to Bramall lane wasn’t going to be a guaranteed three points for any side.
Two wins in their next seven games sounds like a poor run of form , but Sheffield United would not lose a single game in that period, drawing five games to go alongside their two victories.
One of Sheffield United’s two wins came against Unai Emery’s Arsenal, defeating a top six side for the first time since their return to the Premier League.
Little could split the teams, but Mousset’s goal was enough to fire the Blades to victory. Euphoria inside Bramall Lane as the Blades broke into the top 10 after Gameweek nine.
Another imposing performance within this run was Sheffield United’s 3-3 draw with Manchester United, despite not emerging victorious.
The Blades started the game with glaring intent, taking a 2-0 lead within 50 minutes. That said, the Red Devil’s’ attacking prowess was conspicuous, as they’d score three times in quick succession, turning the game on its head.
Sheffield United displayed their tenacity though, equalising in the 90th minute through McBurnie. Wilder’s side proved that they were more than just a defensive unit, possessing the capability to trouble defences.
And you've got to give them credit, just as you have us with the way we fought back at the death to get something out of the game. I would have been really disappointed had we not got anything from this game because for the majority of the time we were right up there in terms of the performance levels.
- Chris Wilder following Sheffield United's 3-3 draw against Manchester United
Following a 1-1 draw with Wolves and a 2-0 loss against Newcastle, the Blades would go on their longest winning streak off the season, beating Norwich City, Aston Villa and Brighton in three consecutive games.
A 1-1 draw at home to Watford would mark the half way point in the season. Sheffield United were sat in seventh place, just three points off fourth place Chelsea.
A position that before the season seemed unimaginable, the hunt for European football was well and truly on.
Team | Games played | Points | Position |
Sheffield United | 19 | 29 | 7th |
The Blades would travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City in their last game of the 2019 calendar year, with the chance to close the gap between the two teams to six points. A strong first-half performance from Wilder’s men, but the Citizens would prevail in the second half, thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne.
Just four days later, Sheffield United would start their 2020 with a trip to Anfield. A 2-0 win against Everton last time they entered the city, they would fall short this time round, losing 2-0.
Bramall Lane would welcome West Ham next, a must-win game if the Blades were to keep their European dreams alive. This is exactly what they did, with McBurnie’s 53rd-minute goal enough to see Sheffield United over the line. An eighth clean sheet of the season, Wilder’s defence would take the plaudits yet again, and rightly so.
A trip to the Emirates was up next, and Wilder’s side had the chance to complete the league double over Arsenal.
The Blades would trail until the 83rd minute, before Fleck unleashed a ruthless half volley past Bernd Leno in front of the travelling Sheffield United supporters. A well-earned point, which, like their 2-2 draw against Chelsea earlier on in the season, will arguably have felt like a win.
They have shown that attitude for a long time. We haven't been unbelievably backed financially. It's a really good story, ours, the players and where they have come from. We have to turn that really good story into a fantastic one by keeping the hammer down.
- Chris Wilder following Sheffield United's 1-1 draw against Arsenal
Sheffield United's 1-1 draw with Arsenal was followed by a second defeat of the season to Pep Guardiola’s Man City, meaning the Blades sat in a respectable eighth place after 24 games.
Ten points from their next 12 available, with just 10 games remaining in the season, UEFA Champions League football in the 2020/21 campaign was looking realistic, just two points off Chelsea in fourth.
What was about to happen next, no one could predict. COVID-19 struck, putting football to a halt worldwide.
The remaining 10 games of the Premier League season would be played without the presence of fans.
A return to top flight action would see Sheffield United travel to Villa Park, facing an Aston Villa side in the thick of a relegation battle. An unthinkable turn of events would unfold.
The supposedly flawless goal-line technology system denied the Blades the lead. Orjan Nyland back-peddled after catching Norwood’s floating free-kick, with replays indicating the ball had clearly crossed the line.
Disbelief for Wilder and his players, a lifeline for the Villans, as Dean Smith’s side earned a crucial point that come the end of the season, would keep them in the Premier League. Astonishing.
Back-to-back 3-0 defeats would follow for Sheffield United, taken apart by Manchester United and Newcastle.
The form of fellow teams with a European tour in their sights was leaving little room for error, and the Blades responded well.
Wilder’s men would make things very interesting, beating Wolves, Tottenham and Chelsea in three of their next four games. Defeating the sides around you is integral when chasing a spot in Europe, but had Sheffield United left it too late?
Three games remained, but how much remained in their tank? The following three results would suggest not enough, losing 2-0 to Leicester, 1-0 to Everton and 3-1 to Southampton in Gameweek 38.
All teams can decry their own ifs and buts, but if the Blades had managed six points from their last three, very winnable, games, they’d have secured a sixth place finish, earning qualification for the Europa League qualifiers.
Would a European finish have been achieved without the mid-season standstill? Possibly, given the importance of momentum in football.
Nonetheless, a remarkable return to the Premier League for the club. Thirteen clean sheets and just 39 goals conceded, the Blades recorded a 9th place finish.
Manager: Chris Wilder
League position: 9th
Top goalscorer: Oli McBurnie & Lys Mousset (6 league; 6 all competitions)
Player of the Year: Chris Basham