The Championship restarts this Saturday and the Blades have business to take care of in a Yorkshire derby against Huddersfield Town.
Paul Heckingbottom’s team won four out of five games before the four-week break in action because of the 2022 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Mark Fotheringham’s Terriers accumulated 7pts from five games in the build up to the international break.
This is how I think Huddersfield Town will line up against United on Saturday:
You can’t talk about Huddersfield Town without talking about Sorba Thomas. He is their biggest threat, I’m sure most are aware of that. He doesn’t have many shots per game – he hasn’t scored yet this season in the Championship.
He does still have his exceptional vision and weight of pass though. Thomas registers 2.4 key passes per game, considerably the highest in the Huddersfield squad.
Thomas’ delivery into the box is dangerous. He has created 28 shooting opportunities from dead ball deliveries this season – 4 of which have resulted in a goal.
Huddersfield Town share their attacks between the left side and through the middle of the pitch, with the Terries choosing to not attack down the right side – they attack down the right the 2nd-lowest out of every other team in the Championship.
The Terriers tend to have most of their possession in the defensive third, and as a result, they have the 2nd-lowest possession in the final third – outlining their offensive struggles.
In addition, they are the only team in the Championship that touches the ball in the final third less than 100 times per game.
Mark Fotheringham’s side lack aggression – attempting the 3rd-least number of tackles in the league per game. Furthermore, their interceptions per game number is additional evidence of them being a non-aggressive team – making the 3rd-least interceptions per game.
Also, they are the worst team in the division at recovering loose balls.
Huddersfield Town are the 6th-worst team in terms of progressive passes per game, and their key passing stats aren’t great either – the 6th-worst in that aspect.
To conclude, looking at the numbers it is no surprise that Huddersfield Town are at the bottom of the league. They pose a minimal threat at the top of the pitch because they lack creativity and penetration. Defensively, they don’t have enough bite or energy off the ball.
I can’t see anything other than a resounding victory for the Blades on Saturday.