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When Sheffield United finished an impressive ninth on their return to the Premier League in 2019-20 season, not many people would have predicted Chris Wilder’s men to be relegated just one year on. But the Blades finished rock bottom with a disappointing 23 points — almost half the number of points they racked up the season before. Â
There’s no doubt that Sheffield United fans would have hoped that their team would bounce back to the top tier of English football on the first time of asking, and with the appointment of SlaviÅ¡a Jokanović came a lot of optimism. After all, the Serbian manager won promotion to the Premier League with both Watford and Fulham, guiding the Hornets to the promised land via automatic promotion while winning the play-offs with the Cottagers.Â
However, things haven’t gone to plan for Jokanović thus far into his tenure at Bramall Lane. With many of his players possibly still suffering from the adverse effects of relegation, the Blades have failed to hit the ground running. Now 11 games into the season, the Yorkshire side sit closer (in terms of points) to the drop zone than they do to the play-offs and that is a real concern for those fans hoping to return to playing Premier League football sooner rather than later.Â
They may not be in any real danger of dropping back down to League 1, according to the Championship relegation odds from Betfair at least, but it is definitely far from the start to the season that Jokanović would have hoped for. Sheffield United have won just three of their 11 league games, failing to beat the likes of Birmingham City (0-1) and Preston North End (2-2) at home — two teams who are below them in the Championship table. However, it is on their travels that the Blades have struggled the most. Aside from a 3-1 victory over relegation-threatened Hull City, Sheffield United’s away record is rather bleak, with three defeats and two goalless draws.
With back-to-back losses, both coming on the road against 15th-place Middlesbrough and league leaders Bournemouth, before the recent international break forced a brief stoppage to domestic football, Jokanović will be hoping that the fortnight without a game will have helped his squad rediscover some much-needed form.Â
They return with successive home games against Stoke City and Millwall, two teams above them in the standings and two sides who have proven difficult to break down this season, which is reflected in the fact that they have both lost just twice this season and have conceded just 11 times in as many games. They will be difficult matches, but they are the kind that if United were to win they could gain some momentum and start to get more backing in the Championship betting tips.Â
Being six points adrift from the play-off positions at this stage of the season certainly isn’t the worst-case scenario for Sheffield United and Jokanović, especially as the Championship table can chop and change so drastically right to the dying embers. However, it will still be an incredibly difficult gap to close, and if it starts to get any wider, then the Blades might as well kiss their promotion chances goodbye.
Written by Ketan Patel
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