Sheffield United may rue Kieffer Moore and Anel Ahmedhodzic sales for one key reason | OneFootball

The Blades have yet to trouble opponents from set-pieces, despite having plenty of opportunities to

The start of the 2025/26 Championship campaign has been one that's had plenty of worry about Sheffield United.

The squad and the style of play have been almost unrecognisable compared to last season's 90-point haul, with the side shipping several chances each game and failing to create much from open play.

However, what has been seen under both Ruben Selles and now again under Chris Wilder is that the Blades like to keep possession and try to get up the pitch. According to Fotmob, Sheffield United have the sixth-highest average possession in the Championship and the sixth-most touches in the opposition's box.

With that territory comes the likelihood of creating plenty of set-piece opportunities, and with 54, Sheffield United lead the league in the number of corners taken so far through seven Championship games.

Unfortunately, though, the Blades lack players who can make an impact by attacking the ball in the air, with Mark McGuiness, Nils Zatterstrom, Tyler Bindon and Ryan One being the only players over six feet two in the squad.

Clearly, no matter the quality of delivery from either Harrison Burrows or Gustavo Hamer, Sheffield United haven't been able to take advantage, and the departures of two strong aerial threats this past summer in Kieffer Moore and Anel Ahmedhodzic are starting to prove even more impactful than once thought.

Sheffield United's issues with set-pieces this season — departed duo would have profited

The number of key players who departed Sheffield United this summer has been clear to see in their performances so far this season.

The Blades have been leaky at the back, highlighting the importance of Bosnian international Ahmehodzic, and despite starting just 18 league games last season, losing Welsh international Moore has meant that Sheffield United haven't had a dependable hold-up option up top.

Both players have hit the ground running at their respective new clubs, with Ahmedhodzic starting the first six games of a so-far unbeaten Eredivisie season at Feyenoord, and Moore's four Championship goals for Wrexham sees him joint-second in the scoring ranks, which will certainly be bittersweet for Blades fans, especially given that they've so far struggled in areas that the two departees would have helped the side excel in.

This area, namely, comes in the form of set-pieces. Sheffield United have taken the most corners so far in the Championship season, and according to Opta, have taken 35 shots with an xG of 3.4 from all set-pieces.

Only Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion have created more xG from set plays this season, but unlike those two sides, Sheffield United have yet to score from one. In fact, they're one of only three Championship sides (Swansea City and Birmingham City being the other two) to have not scored from a set-piece in the Championship this season.

Not only would Ahmedhodzic and Moore, who are both six-foot-five, help the Blades in converting the plethora of chances they create from set plays, but their presence would have at least garnered attention from opposition defences, opening up chances for the likes of McGuinness, who himself is an aerial threat.

Right now, it's too easy for the opposition to defend Sheffield United's corners and wide free kicks, and that only serves to increase the frustration at the two leaving the club in the summer.

Sheffield United need to create more in open play to counteract a lack of set-piece threat

Overall, Sheffield United have created just 6.32 xG in the opening seven games of the Championship campaign. If 3.4 of that is from just set-pieces, then the Blades have created less than 3 xG from open play, which, for all the possession they have, really isn't good enough.

If Chris Wilder's side's weaknesses lie in attacking set plays, then they need to be better at creating more outside of that if they are to start progressing up the table. Luckily enough, they do have the personnel to start doing so immediately.

The likes of Callum O'Hare, Chiedozie Ogbene and Gustavo Hamer are among the elite chance creators in the Championship, and on the bench, the likes of Louie Barry and Tom Cannon can create opportunities out of nothing for themselves.

Whilst many would have expected Sheffield United's performances to be night and day now that Chris Wilder is back, the fact is that the squad isn't what it was in May, and it may take some time to get back to the level to which Blades fans are used.

They still have the players to do so, even with key departures, but now it's all about ensuring that their quality can be seen more often on the pitch.