Here is a brief FM20 team guide of the Sheffield United squad, their club structure, relationship any potential managers will have with the board, expectations and possible tactics anyone can use in Football Manager 2020.
Here is a brief FM20 team guide of the Sheffield United squad, their club structure, relationship any potential managers will have with the board, expectations and possible tactics anyone can use in Football Manager 2020.About the club
Sheffield United are a newly promoted into the Premier League. The “blades” as they are commonly referred to are tenacious club that was established in 1888.
They did have early success years, but in the PL Era they’ve had it very rough. However, a takeover in 2013 by a Saudi prince has seen the fortunes turn around at Sheffield.
They got promoted from the 3rd Tier of English football in the 2016-2017 season. After another season they have made it to the top flight of English football.
The Board's Expectations
Since Sheffield are a newly promoted team survival in the top flight is the main priority of the board. The board requirements will be,
- Survive relegation in the English Premier League
- Making the 4th round of the FA Cup.
- Making the 3rd round of the EFL Carabao Cup.
There will not be any specific football philosophies requested by the board since all they care about is survival. The transfer and wage budget will also be very minimal initially and you will have to do with the squad you already have at your disposal.
The club has adequate training facilities and a moderate youth set up. You will definitely have to work on improving these once you stabilise the club in the PL.
Squad, Formation and Tactical Style
The best suited tactical setup you can deploy with Sheffield is the wing-play tactic. This will aim to make maximum use of the wing backs and their crossing ability to the fullest.
Set Pieces are a major part of how Sheffield score goals, so you will definitely need to take advantage of the tall players at your disposal.
A 3-5-2 is how the blades line-up in real life and with the available squad it is best if you follow that. By doing this and concentrating on wing play it will ensure that your forwards are constantly fed crosses. Working on your set pieces is also of great importance with Sheffield.
A rough example of what your line-up would look like in a 3-5-2 formation is as follows;
- Dean Henderson as a regular keeper
- Jack O’Connell, John Egan & Chris Basham as your 3 centre backs. You can play Basham as a ball playing defender and the other 2 as regular central defenders.
- Enda Stevens & George Baldock as your wingbacks. They need to have crossing instructions turned to the highest.
- John Fleck, Oliver Norwood & John Lundstram as your central midfield 3. Fleck can be played as a holding midfielder with Norwood played as a playmaker.
- David McGoldrick & Oliver McBurnie as your 2 strikers.
I would not recommend other formations for Sheffield, at least initially. However, there are plenty of striker options at the club and you can try to play a 3-4-3 with club Legend Billy Sharp as the 3rd attacking option.
Key Players
1. Ollie McBurnie
Club record signing Ollie McBurnie is a young talented striker who is proven his mettle in the championship. Under a good manager he could easily replicate the form in the PL.
2. Enda Stevens
Enda Stevens is a fine attacking wing back. He contributes a lot of goals and assists and is a crucial cog in the Blades’ wheel.
3. Sheffield had the best defensive record in the Championship in the 2018-2019 season. Their backline is not easy to breach and they could take away valuable points off even the tougher opponents. They are a strong tall squad who are usually very destructive from set plays.
Weaknesses
- With very few creative players the blades could struggle to create chances from open play.
- With other teams investing heavily in the transfer market, the shortage in quality of the squad could reflect in some key results pushing Sheffield to the brink of relegation.
- There is very little transfer budget to make any major changes in the beginning.
Youngsters to keep an eye on
There are a couple of young decent prospects in the Sheffield squad, they are;
- Lys Mousset (ST)
- Tyler Smith (ST)
FM20 Team Guide - Sheffield United
To summarise, Sheffield United are one of the teams predicted to be fighting for relegation at the end of the season both in real life and in FM. Can you take over as manager and bring some consistency into the Blades? Can you make them an established PL side?
