Why Chris Wilder is facing a new Sheffield United pressure | OneFootball

Sheffield United have had a poor season so far, and after a strong January transfer window, Chris Wilder has no excuses now.

Supporters of Sheffield United have perhaps been left dumbfounded by this season, with an extraordinarily poor start seeing Chris Wilder return to the club, mere months after he was sacked by those in charge at Bramall Lane.

Ruben Selles' time in S2 was bleak to say the very least, with a 4-1 opening day defeat to Bristol City setting the tone for the next few weeks as the Blades were rocked by loss after loss - leaving them stuck in the bottom three. The Spaniard was sacked soon after, with the owners turning to a familiar face to help get the team moving in the right direction.

However, it's fair to say that there has been steady progress under Wilder since he came back to the South Yorkshire outfit for his third spell as manager, and inconsistent form has meant that they have not quite been able to climb the Championship table as quickly as many would have expected.

Nonetheless, the January transfer window was a good one for Sheffield United, and now they find themselves in a position that their head coach has arguably never been in before while in the dugout at Bramall Lane. But with that, comes a new pressure.

Chris Wilder has a fantastic squad at his disposal at Sheffield United

The Blades were busy in the January transfer window, particularly on deadline day, with Kalvin Phillips, Joe Rothwell and Leo Hjedle all joining the club on February 2. Experience and quality is able to be found across the squad at the Blades, and they will certainly fancy their chances of a play-off finish.

Strength in depth is crucial for any side in the Championship, but especially one who is looking to make amends for a disappointing start to the campaign, and Sheffield United must ensure that their new players gel quickly as they look to climb the league table as soon as possible.

The gap to the top six is not huge, and with those sitting in and around the play-off spots so tightly packed together, a run of form could see Wilder's side climb the table at a rate of knots. However, it must be said that they cannot afford to have any complacency with some of those towards the top end of the table flexing their strength in recent weeks.

The Blades have also got plenty of attacking threats, with the likes of Patrick Bamford, Danny Ings, Tom Cannon and Tyrese Campbell all fighting for that striker position, and being supplied by the likes of Gus Hamer, Callum O'Hare and Andre Brooks.

Chris Wilder has not been in this position at Sheffield United before

Although Wilder has tasted great success during his time at Sheffield United in the past, with promotion to the Championship and Premier League coming during his first stint in charge, this may be his very best all-round squad for the level that he is at.

That in itself brings new challenges and while they may have been the underdogs in the past, this campaign, it could be argued that they are underachieveing and work must be done in the next few months to ensure that they do not miss out on being involved in that battle for the play-offs.

Last season's defeat to Sunderland at Wembley hurt Sheffield United greatly, and the Blades struggled to recover from it. Yet, they have the chance of putting their start behind them with the likes of Hamer still at the club.

Wilder is a manager with plenty of experience and knowledge of the Championship, and while this may be a slightly new position that he finds himself in, there is no doubt that he could thrive under this pressure.