Recreate Sheffield United’s iconic FM24 tactic with Overlapping Centre-Backs. Full setup, roles, and invincible results inside.
Recreate Sheffield United's iconic 19/20 Overlapping Centre-Back system in
FM24 and go invincible with this unique tactical setup.
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When Sheffield United were promoted to the Premier League in 2019, few could’ve predicted that they’d go on an extraordinary charge for European football in their first Premier League campaign in 13 years.
Whilst their fairytale story didn’t have its happy ending, their 19/20 Premier
League campaign will go down as one of the most successful seasons from a
promoted club, in the Premier League, ever.
The catalyst of their success in that season, it could be argued, was their
unique tactical set-up which separated themselves from the rest and proved
difficult to stop for large parts of the season.
In this article, I’ll be providing my brief analysis of their said unique
tactical set-up, before showcasing my recreation of their tactical set-up on
Football Manager 2024 and demonstrating the fantastic results the tactic
achieved in testing!
Firstly, let’s have a look at the core principles of this system.
In most formations containing a back-three, the three defenders would typically be quite disciplined positionally in order to retain a solid base and rest defence shape. This is where Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United were different, as the two wider centre-backs in the back-three were given licence to move forward and, often, beyond the wing-backs ahead of them, faming the ‘Overlapping Centre-Backs’ term.
Overlapping Centre-Backs
In most formations containing a back-three, the three defenders would typically be quite disciplined positionally in order to retain a solid base and rest defence shape. This is where Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United were different, as the two wider centre-backs in the back-three were given licence to move forward and, often, beyond the wing-backs ahead of them, faming the ‘Overlapping Centre-Backs’ term.
With the 5-3-2 being a naturally narrow formation, Wilder needed additional
width. Most managers, especially in these times, would instruct one, if not
both, of the central midfielders in the formation to move wider to help form
wide overloads; Wilder, however, had other ideas. His idea of ‘Overlapping
Centre-Backs’ was not just a pro-active idea, but also a reactive idea which
would mitigate the opponent’s biggest threat: their attackers.
If the opposition attackers tracked the runs by Sheffield United’s
‘Overlapping Centre-Backs’, they’d be moving away from an attacking position
and closer to their own goal, increasing the distance the attackers would
have to travel in order to counter-attack.
On the other hand, if the opposition attackers left the ‘Overlapping
Centre-Backs’ to make their runs, Sheffield United would have overloads and
could out-number the opposition’s midfield and defensive line, giving the
Blades numerical superiority. The double jeopardy this caused created a
tactical conundrum that few, at the time, could figure out.
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In the 19/20 Premier League season, Sheffield United conceded just 39 goals, 6 more than the champions Liverpool, giving the Blades the 4th best defensive record in the league, behind both Manchester clubs, who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, and the aforementioned champions Liverpool – a truly impressive stat considering they were a freshly-promoted outfit.
Impenetrable Defence
In the 19/20 Premier League season, Sheffield United conceded just 39 goals, 6 more than the champions Liverpool, giving the Blades the 4th best defensive record in the league, behind both Manchester clubs, who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, and the aforementioned champions Liverpool – a truly impressive stat considering they were a freshly-promoted outfit.
Whilst Manchester United-loanee Dean Henderson was a massive help in goal,
their defensive record was mainly thanks to a very stubborn defensive shape,
supplemented by some top-class coaching by Chris Wilder and his assistant
Alan Knill. The pair instilled into their squad a very effective defensive
strategy using the players’ ‘cover-shadow’ as an ‘extra marker’ in their
defence.
This, combined with the 5-3-2’s naturally narrow shape, made it very
difficult for opponents to progress the ball centrally, forcing them into
wide areas where Sheffield United’s wing-backs would charge at the
opposition’s wide players and use the touchline as an extra defender.
READ ALSO: Sir Alex Ferguson’s Legendary 2008 Manchester United Tactics in FM24
When Sheffield United had the ball, they’d often try and keep the ball on the ground and would try to control the game from the back; In the Premier League, this wasn’t an easy task, so they could go more direct at times. With the ball at their feet, Sheffield United would try and pass the ball fairly quickly, aiming for wide areas – no team in the Premier League in 19/20 used the wide areas more than Sheffield United.
In this position, Dean Henderson had a rather simple task: Prevent goals. He would rarely get involved with build-up and would focus on his shot-stopping abilities. When the opposition would cross the ball in, he would often be pro-active and either claim the ball or punch it away, hence the differentiation between the ‘Goalkeeper’ role and the ‘Sweeper Keeper’ role on the ‘Defend’ duty. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect. No added instructions.
The two wider centre-backs in this system’s back-three had very similar jobs, and that was to initially hold a deeper, more traditional centre-back position, before marauding forward and providing an overlapping/underlapping option for the wing-back on their side. The differentiation between the ‘Support’ and ‘Attack’ duties on the LCB and the RCB position reflects that the right-sided centre-back (typically Basham) in this system was the more attacking of the two wider centre-backs. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect. No added instructions.
To balance out the two wider centre-backs’ progressive movements, Chris Wilder instructed two players to be very disciplined positionally and the central centre-back (usually Egan) was one of those players. In this position, Egan would almost entirely focus on his defensive duties, as reflected by this choice of role. No added instructions.
As aforementioned, of the two wider centre-backs, the left-sided centre-back (typically O’Connell) was the less attacking of the two. Despite this, O’Connell would still cross often and try to reach the byline at times. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:
In this system, the two wing-backs had very similar responsibilities both in-possession and out. When Sheffield United had the ball, the wing-backs would both move high and wide into winger-like positions. When they would receive the ball, they’d either release crosses early or cut inside and wait for the overlapping run from the wider centre-backs. When Sheffield United didn’t have the ball, both wing-backs were pro-active and would close down the opposition wingers often. Despite their very similar responsibilities, there was a slight differentiation between the two and that was the right wing-back (notably Baldock) would often opt for deeper crosses, as reflected by the slight difference in both positions’ instructions:
The holding midfielder in this system, as with the central centre-back, was the other of the two players in this system to be very positionally disciplined as he would often drop deeper to cover for one of the wider centre-backs to move higher. When in-possession, the holding midfielder (usually Norwood) would drift horizontally to offer himself as a passing option and, when he would receive the ball, he would regularly switch the play to supply their wide overloads. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instruction:
In this position, Fleck was probably the epitome of a ‘Box-to-Box Midfielder’. His work rate, stamina and movement were integral at times for Sheffield United, and the latter allowed him to get into box-crashing scenarios, which saw him score 5 goals in the Premier League in 19/20. Finally, Fleck could move wider at times to form situational wide overloads. Therefore, I felt this role was incredibly optimal, with the added instructions:
In this position, Lundstram had similar responsibilities to Fleck beside him as his movement forward could also result in box-crashing runs and goalscoring opportunities, leading to him also scoring 5 Premier League goals in 19/20. Lundstram’s general movement was more advanced and attacking than Fleck’s, hence the ‘Attacking’ duty. Lundstram would regularly roam from his position to try and drag opposition midfielders out of position. Finally, Lundstram would tend to move into the half-spaces and into positions to receive the final pass before setting up a team-mate with a cut-back. Therefore, I felt this role was suitable, with the added instructions:
Sheffield United’s front-two in this system were quite traditional and were almost a throwback to old strike partnerships as it contained a taller, stronger striker who could hold up play and a quicker, more agile striker who could run beyond, and in McGoldrick and Mousset/McBurnie and Robinson, Sheffield United could have some nice combination play up front. On the left-side was usually the more physical of the two strikers, as they’d back-up against the opposition centre-back and link play using passes/headers. Therefore, I felt this role was ideal. No added instructions.
On the other hand, the right-side was the quicker of the two as he’d regularly make runs in-behind and/or into the channels. If he didn’t retrieve the ball in the first instance, the striker would chase down the ball and work tirelessly to win it back – this was perfectly demonstrated in Sheffield United’s opener in the 3-3 draw vs Manchester United in 2019. A ball was played into the channel for Mousset to chase.
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Manager 2024
In the league, we were extraordinary as we went INVINCIBLE! Of our 46
league games, we won 39 games and drawing the other 7 games. Maybe the
most unbelievable part of our league season was our defensive record, as
we conceded just 19 league goals all season; In fact, we didn’t concede a
single goal in ANY of our first 21 (TWENTY-ONE!) games in all
competitions!
Our elite season was made even better as we WON the Carabao Cup. Even more
fantastically, we did so by beating Manchester City 4-0 in the final,
along with another 4-0 win, this time in the first leg of the Carabao Cup
Semi-Finals against Aston Villa – we’d eventually lose 3-0 in the return
leg, resulting in a narrow 3-4 aggregate win.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it an unfathomable treble as we were
defeated by Chelsea in an FA Cup third round replay 2-1, following an
initial 2-2 draw at Bramall Lane.
The 19/20 Sheffield United squad will go down as one of the best newly-promoted Premier League sides in history as, although their dreams didn’t become a reality, they were incredibly close to qualifying for European football in their first season back. A hard-working, solid squad playing a unique, forward-thinking brand of football where each player was committed to their individual tasks – no wonder they were so difficult to beat at times in 2019/20.
Let’s Break Down the Tactic
In Possession
When Sheffield United had the ball, they’d often try and keep the ball on the ground and would try to control the game from the back; In the Premier League, this wasn’t an easy task, so they could go more direct at times. With the ball at their feet, Sheffield United would try and pass the ball fairly quickly, aiming for wide areas – no team in the Premier League in 19/20 used the wide areas more than Sheffield United.
When they had the ball, Sheffield United’s players could roam from their
position to create situational overloads and switch positions. Finally,
when they had the ball in the final third, Sheffield United would work to
create angles to cross the ball in, usually trying to reach the byline for
a cut-back/cross to the back-post.
When Sheffield United would lose the ball, their players would assess the situation before deciding whether to counter-press or drop off and retain a solid defensive shape. This calculated decision-making was also used when they won the ball back, as they’d assess the situation before deciding whether to retain possession or spring a quick counter-attack. From goal-kicks, Dean Henderson would vary his goal-kicks and would also assess the situation before deciding between a long goal-kick or a shorter distribution.
When Sheffield United didn’t have possession for prolonged periods, they would drop back into a very robust mid-block. From within this mid-block, Sheffield United would close central passing lanes, forcing the opposition wide; From here, they would close down the opposition vigorously and use the touchline as an ‘extra defender’. Finally, Sheffield United did not exclusively defend in a mid-block and could, at times, move higher and press the opposition centre-backs and goalkeeper to prevent build up.
In Transition
When Sheffield United would lose the ball, their players would assess the situation before deciding whether to counter-press or drop off and retain a solid defensive shape. This calculated decision-making was also used when they won the ball back, as they’d assess the situation before deciding whether to retain possession or spring a quick counter-attack. From goal-kicks, Dean Henderson would vary his goal-kicks and would also assess the situation before deciding between a long goal-kick or a shorter distribution.
Out of Possession
When Sheffield United didn’t have possession for prolonged periods, they would drop back into a very robust mid-block. From within this mid-block, Sheffield United would close central passing lanes, forcing the opposition wide; From here, they would close down the opposition vigorously and use the touchline as an ‘extra defender’. Finally, Sheffield United did not exclusively defend in a mid-block and could, at times, move higher and press the opposition centre-backs and goalkeeper to prevent build up.
Player Roles
Sweeper Keeper – Defend
In this position, Dean Henderson had a rather simple task: Prevent goals. He would rarely get involved with build-up and would focus on his shot-stopping abilities. When the opposition would cross the ball in, he would often be pro-active and either claim the ball or punch it away, hence the differentiation between the ‘Goalkeeper’ role and the ‘Sweeper Keeper’ role on the ‘Defend’ duty. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect. No added instructions.
Wide Centre-Back – Attack
The two wider centre-backs in this system’s back-three had very similar jobs, and that was to initially hold a deeper, more traditional centre-back position, before marauding forward and providing an overlapping/underlapping option for the wing-back on their side. The differentiation between the ‘Support’ and ‘Attack’ duties on the LCB and the RCB position reflects that the right-sided centre-back (typically Basham) in this system was the more attacking of the two wider centre-backs. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect. No added instructions.
Central Defender – Defend
To balance out the two wider centre-backs’ progressive movements, Chris Wilder instructed two players to be very disciplined positionally and the central centre-back (usually Egan) was one of those players. In this position, Egan would almost entirely focus on his defensive duties, as reflected by this choice of role. No added instructions.
Wide Centre-Back – Support
As aforementioned, of the two wider centre-backs, the left-sided centre-back (typically O’Connell) was the less attacking of the two. Despite this, O’Connell would still cross often and try to reach the byline at times. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:
(WBR & WBL) Wing-Back – Support
In this system, the two wing-backs had very similar responsibilities both in-possession and out. When Sheffield United had the ball, the wing-backs would both move high and wide into winger-like positions. When they would receive the ball, they’d either release crosses early or cut inside and wait for the overlapping run from the wider centre-backs. When Sheffield United didn’t have the ball, both wing-backs were pro-active and would close down the opposition wingers often. Despite their very similar responsibilities, there was a slight differentiation between the two and that was the right wing-back (notably Baldock) would often opt for deeper crosses, as reflected by the slight difference in both positions’ instructions:
(WBR)
(WBL)
Deep-Lying Playmaker – Defend
The holding midfielder in this system, as with the central centre-back, was the other of the two players in this system to be very positionally disciplined as he would often drop deeper to cover for one of the wider centre-backs to move higher. When in-possession, the holding midfielder (usually Norwood) would drift horizontally to offer himself as a passing option and, when he would receive the ball, he would regularly switch the play to supply their wide overloads. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instruction:
Box-to-Box Midfielder – Support
In this position, Fleck was probably the epitome of a ‘Box-to-Box Midfielder’. His work rate, stamina and movement were integral at times for Sheffield United, and the latter allowed him to get into box-crashing scenarios, which saw him score 5 goals in the Premier League in 19/20. Finally, Fleck could move wider at times to form situational wide overloads. Therefore, I felt this role was incredibly optimal, with the added instructions:
Central Midfielder – Attack
In this position, Lundstram had similar responsibilities to Fleck beside him as his movement forward could also result in box-crashing runs and goalscoring opportunities, leading to him also scoring 5 Premier League goals in 19/20. Lundstram’s general movement was more advanced and attacking than Fleck’s, hence the ‘Attacking’ duty. Lundstram would regularly roam from his position to try and drag opposition midfielders out of position. Finally, Lundstram would tend to move into the half-spaces and into positions to receive the final pass before setting up a team-mate with a cut-back. Therefore, I felt this role was suitable, with the added instructions:
Target Forward – Support
Sheffield United’s front-two in this system were quite traditional and were almost a throwback to old strike partnerships as it contained a taller, stronger striker who could hold up play and a quicker, more agile striker who could run beyond, and in McGoldrick and Mousset/McBurnie and Robinson, Sheffield United could have some nice combination play up front. On the left-side was usually the more physical of the two strikers, as they’d back-up against the opposition centre-back and link play using passes/headers. Therefore, I felt this role was ideal. No added instructions.
Pressing Forward – Attack
On the other hand, the right-side was the quicker of the two as he’d regularly make runs in-behind and/or into the channels. If he didn’t retrieve the ball in the first instance, the striker would chase down the ball and work tirelessly to win it back – this was perfectly demonstrated in Sheffield United’s opener in the 3-3 draw vs Manchester United in 2019. A ball was played into the channel for Mousset to chase.
The ball went past the Frenchman, however, he didn’t give it up and chased
down the ball. He would go on to clatter into Phil Jones and finally win
the ball, before pulling the ball across for the ball to be tapped in by
Lundstram, whose shot was saved before Fleck followed it up with a
successful tap-in of his own on the rebound. Additionally, the quicker,
more agile forward could roam from his position to create situational
overloads, as displayed by the role’s instructions:
Results
EFL Championship
Carabao Cup
FA Cup
Conclusion
The 19/20 Sheffield United squad will go down as one of the best newly-promoted Premier League sides in history as, although their dreams didn’t become a reality, they were incredibly close to qualifying for European football in their first season back. A hard-working, solid squad playing a unique, forward-thinking brand of football where each player was committed to their individual tasks – no wonder they were so difficult to beat at times in 2019/20.
If you want a taste of this thrilling tactic, make sure to download the
tactic using the link attached to this article and follow FM Blog and
myself (@AshtonGgmu) on our respective socials. I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I
wish you much success with this tactic on your saves! Thanks for reading!
