Sheffield United have the third-best defence in the Premier League. Let that settle for a moment.
A side who only three years ago were competing in England’s third tier has conceded less goals than the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United – even more impressive when you take into account the unique attacking-focused set-up that Chris Wilder has for his defenders.
At the heart of this defence is Chris Basham, a no-nonsense traditional centre-back who has played 254 times for the Blades spanning across three divisions. But what makes the 31-year-old such a long-established component in United’s starting eleven and how is he keeping the pre-season relegation favourites so watertight at the back?
Basham’s forte is his tackling prowess. The 6ft 2in centre-half has a certain aptitude to cleanly dispossess his opposition and is statistically the most clinical tackler outside the ‘Big Six’ teams – with an astonishing tackle success rate of 79%, putting him ahead of the likes of Çağlar Söyüncü, Declan Rice and Wilfred Ndidi.
This is an important attribute to have in Chris Wilder’s intricate tactical 3-5-2 layout as Sheffield United run the risk of being left exposed at the back when Basham and his defensive counterpart Jack O’Connell overlap wing-backs George Baldock and Enda Stevens respectively, creating an overwhelming flanking threat.
The former Bolton Wanderers man can use this tackling confidence to make normally risky lunges for the ball and cover his teammates when they are busy on the wings, allowing the Blades to provide a physical presence even when the defence is seemingly stretched as two centre-backs have to cover the whole backline at times.
Basham’s role as a domineering aerial threat also makes him a commanding force at the back, a reputation that has followed him throughout England’s top three tiers with the Englishman converting his fair share of headers in a red and white strip.
Three years ago, Chris Basham was in the Sheffield United squad that lost 2-0 to Fleetwood. Now he’s in the Sheffield United squad that Premier League strikers are reluctantly playing against.
