Chris Wilder must use this tactical tweak to overcome an imperious Liverpool side – opinion
Sheffield United's English manager Chris Wilder gestures from the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Sheffield United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on December 29, 2019. (Photo by Lindsey Parnaby / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
Sheffield United have been proving the doubters wrong all season long and ended 2019 well clear of the relegation zone with an unimaginable European adventure potentially on the horizon. But they ended the decade with defeat the 2010’s most successful Premier League club and the begin the next with the side who could yet dominate this decade, Liverpool. To avoid consecutive losses for the first time this season Chris Wilder should tweak his tactics ever so slightly.
Liverpool have arguably the best front three and wing back pairings in Europe and stopping them from scoring in neigh on impossible. However, their midfield trio is highly industrious, but the Blades can overcome it by dropping an extra man into midfield or deploying David McGolrick even deeper.
Usually, Wilder opts for a five-man defence, without advanced wing-backs and a three-man midfield, but Liverpool could get the better of the Blades in the heart of the pitch if they don’t put an extra man in there. Dropping a striker and selecting an extra midfielder such as Muhamed Besic or Luke Freeman to go alongside Oliver Norwood, John Fleck and John Lundstram would give the Blades an advantage in the centre and also possibly help them defend wide areas more effectively.
Wilder could keep his lines of five and three in defence and midfield respectively, but have an extra man drop in-between the two banks, as Wilfred Ndidi has done so effectively for Leicester City this season.
Alternatively, Wilder could opt for the more conventional 5-3-2 he has utilised for much of the season, but deploy McGoldrick in a much deeper role, just in front of the midfield trio. The Irish international has proven himself to be an incredibly disciplined and hardworking frontman and he could double up as an extra midfielder out of possession.
Either way, Wilder chooses to set up his side it is crucial that Sheffield United funnel Liverpool into the centre of the pitch, instead of letting their wide players have possession and pressing Liverpool against the touchline. The Premier League leaders have the best wide players in Europe, but the centre of the pitch is where they can be hurt, and that is crucial for Sheffield United to pull off a shock result.