“It does make me laugh” – Chris Wilder hits back at formation talk following the Blades’ defeat at Elland Road | OneFootball

Sheffield United suffered their first defeat of the season on Friday night, as Leeds United emerged 2-0 victors in a commanding display at Elland Road.

The Blades struggled to match Leeds’ intensity and quality, leading to a deserved defeat in what was a one-sided affair.

Chris Wilder made several changes to the starting lineup and shifted tactics, reverting to a 5-3-2 (more of a 5-4-1) formation for the first time this season. Gustavo Hamer, Harrison Burrows, Jamie Shackleton, and Rhys Norrington-Davies returned to the starting XI, while Alfie Gilchrist, Sam McCallum, Rhian Brewster, and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi dropped to the bench.

The game remained goalless through the first half, but it was clear that Leeds were the stronger side, controlling possession and creating more meaningful chances. The breakthrough finally came in the 69th minute when Pascal Struijk capitalised on a scuffed Joe Rothwell corner. While the delivery may have been far from perfect, Struijk’s finish was clinical, sending the ball into the top left corner to give Leeds a deserved lead.

Sheffield United, chasing the game, pushed forward, which left them exposed at the back. Leeds took full advantage of this in the 90th minute when substitute Mateo Joseph slipped behind the Blades’ defence and fired a composed finish past goalkeeper Michael Cooper to seal the victory.

LEEDS, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 18: Pascal Struijk of Leeds United celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the Sky Bet Championship match between Leeds United FC and Sheffield United FC at Elland Road on October 18, 2024 in Leeds, England.

Chris Wilder’s reaction after seeing Leeds United dominate Sheffield United

After the game, Chris Wilder spoke about his side’s performance to BBC Radio Sheffield. He acknowledged that Leeds were the better team from start to finish, winning the majority of key battles and looking sharper in all areas of the pitch.

“We got done by the better side. They were better in all departments from the off. They won more first balls, dropped on more second balls, were sharper to everything, and by far and away the best side we’ve played this season,” Wilder admitted.

The formation change to a back five, a topic of debate before the match, and now especially after it, was addressed by Wilder, who brushed aside the notion that the system was the root cause of their struggles.

“It does make me laugh when people talk about formations,” he said. “If you give the ball away, if your touch is heavy, if you’re loose in possession, it makes no odds if you’re playing 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, whatever. We just weren’t good enough in terms of ball retention, quality, and decision-making.”

Wilder also justified the tactical switch, noting that Leeds’ attacking threat necessitated a more cautious approach. “They put six at the top of the pitch. That’s their game. We’ve done heavy study of them tactically… they have six at the top line to stretch your back four and we felt that they would stretch our back four too much, so we had to put another one in there.”

After tasting their first defeat of the Championship campaign, they have another tough away test on their hands when they travel to Middlesbrough on Wednesday night, to take on one of Wilder’s former clubs.