Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit reveals what will really "frustrate" Chris Wilder at Sheffield United right now | OneFootball

Don Goodman has spoken exclusively to Football League World about the Blades' chances of finishing in the top two.

Don Goodman has spoken of his confusion over Sheffield United's recent form, as a late 2-1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle made it three losses in a row in the Championship.

The Blades took the lead at Home Park through a spectacular Jesurun Rak-Sakyi goal, as the Crystal Palace loanee curled the ball excellently past Conor Hazard to hand the away side the advantage in the first half.

However, two goals in the final ten minutes of normal time from Ryan Hardie and Muhamed Tijani saw the second tier's bottom side turn the game around and take a vital three points in their fight for survival, while Chris Widler's team were forced to lick their wounds once again.

It was a dismal week for Sheffield United, and one that Leeds United and Burnley extended their advantage over them to five points with just four games left to go this season.

Goodman makes claim on Sheffield United's promotion chances

Frustrations at Bramall Lane are at an all-time high for the 2024/25 campaign, with the Blades letting their chance of finishing in the top two slip.

It looks incredibly likely that they will be forced to do something that they have never done before, and win promotion through the play-offs. However, without momentum, this could be tougher than ever.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Don Goodman has questioned Sheffield United's chances of returning to the Premier League automatically with just weeks to go in the season.

He told FLW: "I think what will frustrate Chris Wilder the most is probably the manner of the three defeats and the fact that they were on the back of one of their best performances of the season.

!I did their 3-1 home win against Coventry City, a team who were flying and Sheffield United absolutely destroyed them. At the end of that night, I was pretty convinced that they would be one of the two going up automatically."

Goodman continued: "Fast-forward three games and losses to Oxford, Millwall and Plymouth. With respect to those three teams you wouldn't have expected them to lose all three. You might have seen a draw in there, but to lose all three is a huge blow.

"They're now up against it, but I guess what I would hold on to if I was Sheffield United is just how quickly it turned for them. It could easily turn for Leeds United or Burnley. But there's no doubt about it, they can't afford anything other than a win on Friday night at home against Cardiff City."

Sheffield United have let go of a huge opportunity

Having seen Leeds go through an awkward spell of their own, Sheffield United knew that they had to hold their nerve in the last week and keep hold of their advantage.

While matches against the likes of Plymouth and Oxford will be tough at this stage of the season as they fight for their Championship status, they must be seen as games that are more than winnable if the Blades have Premier League ambitions.

With so few games to go in 2024/25, it will take a huge effort for Wilder to change his side's fortunes and take them back to the top flight, with their clash against Burnley on Easter Monday vital.

However, time is running out, and Sheffield United may have to settle for the play-offs with the top two looking as though they will see out this season in their current positions.