Sheffield United ended last season competing for a place in Europe but they are already rooted at the end of the Premier League with no win after eight games in 2020-21.
Their return from one point at this stage of the competition is the lowest in Premier League history, alongside Manchester City 1995-96, Southampton 1998-99, Sheffield Wednesday 1999-00 and Sunderland 2013-14.
Two of those other four teams were relegated at the end of the season.
“We have to fight our way through. Nobody is going to give us anything. It’s the big test,” manager Chris Wilder told BBC Sport after the blades were up Beat 4-1 at Chelsea on Saturday.
David McGoldrick had given visitors the edge – only for the second time this season – but goals from Tammy Abraham, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and Timo Werner let them get away comfortably.
So what’s wrong for Sheffield United? What are you doing differently this season? And can they turn things around?
How it compares to the start of last season
It’s the Blades worst start in the league under Wilder.
They picked up nine points from their first eight games last season after being promoted from the championship, scoring seven points and conceding seven goals.
But they have already scored twice as many goals in the 2020/21 season as they did at this point last season and only scored four goals.
Saturday’s loss was their fourth loss of the season – they racked up 21 of their 54 points away from home in 2019-20.
Thirteen of those points were collected against the so-called “Big Six” – they took four points each from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham and drew against Manchester United at home.
However, Bramall Lane Club have already lost to Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea in the past five weeks.
You also ran this campaign for only 42 minutes and have already lost six points from winning positions. You lost a total of nine last season.
“Injuries really hurt them and the new players have problems, but overall they were nowhere near anywhere in the competition on Saturday,” said Match of the Day expert Jermaine Jenas.
“There is a lot of panic in the team. They started well but they got worse and worse. You didn’t concede easy goals last season and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Chris Wilder is very busy.”
| Sheffield United 0-2 Wolves | Aston Villa 1-0 Sheffield United |
| Sheffield United 0-1 Leeds United | Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield United |
| Sheffield United 1-1 Fulham | Liverpool 2-1 Sheffield United |
| Sheffield United 0-1 Manchester City | Chelsea 4-1 Sheffield United |
Bad form and a tough series of fixtures
Sheffield United’s games at the start of the 2020-21 season were less favorable.
They had only played against Chelsea and Liverpool from the acclaimed Big Six before matchday nine last season, and two of the teams they had played in their first eight games – Bournemouth and Watford – were relegated at the end of the season.
However, the Blades have already been beaten by Leeds United and drawn at home by Fulham, who had lost every game by then. They travel to West Brom later this month, where they will face Tottenham in 18th place on Sunday.
“Our season will not be decided by games against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. It will be against the teams around us and that is what we have to focus on,” Wilder told BBC Sport.
“I don’t like being ‘almost’ – and we can’t afford to be in the next 10 games.”
Major Actor Violations and Inconsistencies
In addition to some tough encounters, the Blades have also injured key midfielder John Fleck and defender Jack O’Connell who could be absent the rest of the season after 33 Premier League appearances in 2019-20.
Striker Lys Mousset – joint top scorer last season – will have to be there in 2020-21 due to an injury. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson has returned to Manchester United after his loan period ended.
Wilder has also expressed his frustration over John Lundstrams rejection of a new contract, While the new strikers Rhian Brewster and Oliver Burke have not yet given the starting shot.
“We have to fill a few gaps at the moment,” said Wilder on Saturday.
“In order for a promoted team to be promoted, there has to be a balance between ball and consistency in the selection process. We didn’t have that this season through injuries and form.
“You have to have players who are very familiar with the system and incorporate that attitude into the games. Unfortunately, that’s not the case at the moment.”
Match of the Day expert Tim Cahill expects them to have no more problems: “I think you’ve had enough with your manager in your locker – he’s a strong character.”
- Check out 13 first-round draws on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app this weekend. Find out more here.
