Baggies face league leaders at home – take a draw?

West Bromwich Albion v Sheffield United; The Hawthorns, Sunday 8th December 2024, 3pm

So, Baggies fans, would you take a draw? Ahead of the weekend’s fixtures, Sunday’s visitors to the Hawthorns are two points clear at the top of the table despite having been handed a two-point deduction at the start of the season, and are currently on a seven-match unbeaten run. Under normal circumstances, most Albion fans would take a point, but these circumstances are anything but normal.

Albion are on the longest unbeaten run in the division having avoided defeat for ten matches, but in a remarkable run of results, nine of those ten games have ended all square and the Baggies haven’t won a match at the Hawthorns since 21st September when they beat Plymouth Argyle 1-0 to consolidate their place at the top of the table. They have won just once in the last twelve matches and Carlos Corberán is certainly coming in for criticism with some calling for him to be sacked. Regular readers will know that I am not of that particular view, but there is no doubt that Corberán is struggling to find a way out of this particular malaise, if that is a fair way to describe it.

Last weekend’s result at Preston was particularly disappointing, especially after an encouraging start and an excellent opening goal. Albion failed to cope with the hosts in the first fifteen minutes of the second half and it seemed to be a parting of the waves that led to the equaliser straight through the middle after Preston’s attacking efforts from the wings had been repelled. Corberán came in for particular criticism for his decision to take off Maja and replace him with Jed Wallace for the final five minutes and, while there can be an argument to withdraw Maja due to fatigue (players are more likely to get injured when tired), Wallace has failed to impress on any of his appearances this season and Cole would have been a much more understandable replacement.

However, it may be a case of being damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Cole has been bright but has rarely threatened to score and the criticism would have come in almost as strongly had he come on; that Wallace failed to take advantage of an excellent opportunity late on heightened the condemnation of him in hindsight and most would have liked to have seen Maja left on the field. Corberán, of course, always has a judgment to make and he always has more information to work with – the medical staff will have undoubtedly warned about the potential for burn out for Maja and, had he stayed on a picked up a muscle injury, who would be getting the blame then?

Ultimately, of course, the result didn’t come down to that moment, but to countless others throughout the game when players made decisions that were too cautious, or made mistakes perhaps because of a lack of caution or a lack of care. Players’ decision-making will always partially be shaped by the head coach’s instructions, and the attacking intent we saw in the early games of the season is now seen only sporadically. The apparent decision to switch to a back three at half time indicated a desire to protect the lead, something that Albion have tried to do in multiple games in this current run and only once, at Hull, has it been successful. Surely it’s time to revert to the approach that was taken at Portsmouth which most feel was the Baggies’ best performance of the season.

Obviously, when you face a team in form like Sheffield United, a gung-ho approach is not necessarily the way to go. The Blades are not exactly free-scoring sitting sixth in the list of top goalscoring teams in the division, and they have only scored more than twice in any league match once this season, in their recent 3-0 win over Oxford United, but they have scored enough to win games more often than not winning 12 of their 18 games in the Championship. They are very strong at the back, however, with only Burnley (six) having conceded fewer goals this season than the nine that the Blades have let in. Albion may have an impressive nine clean sheets this season, but Sheffield United and Burnley have twelve apiece. Like the game with Burnley, this game has nil-nil written all over it.

Corberán surprised many by given Lewis Dobbin his first league start in Albion colours at Preston, and explained his decision afterwards with his view that Dobbin is more suited to the physical game he expected from the hosts than Mikey Johnston. Johnston had found Sunderland’s physical approach difficult last week and I also agree that Dobbin did show some positive signs when in possession and in contact with defenders when he came on. I thought he did OK in the first half at Deepdale as well but, like most of his teammates, his levels dropped after the break.

If the Blades’ disciplinary record is anything to go by, Sunday’s match will also be physical in nature – they are second only to Preston (51) in yellow cards with 43. A red card to Harry Souttar in their hard fought 1-0 win over Sunderland on Friday means that he will miss the trip to the Hawthorns.

United’s physical approach may well see Dobbin given the nod again on Sunday which could mean the same eleven that started at Deepdale. Corberán revealed this week that Jayson Molumby has been managing a groin injury that has restricted his playing time recently, meaning Račić started last weekend – it remains to be seen whether he will play from the start on Sunday, but there is no doubt that Molumby’s presence provides a huge amount of energy to the midfield as was evident when he came off the bench at Preston.

Whoever Corberán puts out, it is up to the players to put in the performance to get the result. At their best, Albion’s team can beat anyone in this division, but confidence is a huge influence and there are far too many in the Baggies colours that are lacking in that area. They need to remember those early weeks of the season and try to draw on those feelings – things will turn around and maybe a tough opponent at home, an opponent that is unlikely to sit back and defend, is just what is needed.

Going back to the question I posed in the title, I think I probably would, even though it would prolong this freak run of results. A win would be a huge result, but when you take the game in isolation, avoiding defeat would be a positive outcome.

History

Given Albion’s current penchant for a draw, it is interesting to note that there hasn’t been one between them and Sheffield United for more than fifteen years with the last coming at Bramall Lane in August 2009. Since then, there have been five wins apiece although the Blades did the double over the Baggies last season. Albion’s last league win over United was 4-0 in August 2021.

There are no Blades players who have previously played for the Baggies but both Mason Holgate and Kyle Bartley have had loan spells at Bramall Lane. Holgate made 10 appearances on loan with the Blades last season, while Bartley had two spells with United from Arsenal in 2009/10 and 2010/11 making a total of 37 appearances. Matt Phillips, who was released by Albion in the summer, had a brief loan spell with United from Blackpool in 2011/12 – he scored an impressive six goals in seven appearances for the Blades who were then in League One.

Callum Robinson, of course, played for both clubs having been bought by Sheffield United in the summer of 2019 before being sent out on loan to Albion the following January. The move to the Hawthorns was made permanent in the summer of 2020. One of Albion’s most disastrous big money signings, Oli Burke, was signed by Sheffield United’s current boss, Chris Wilder, in his first spell at Bramall Lane in 2020.

Geoff Horsfield, famous for scoring the first goal in the win that clinched Albion’s Great Escape in 2005, moved to Bramall Lane the following year, initially on loan, but made just five appearances for the Blades.

Georges Santos, infamously at the centre of the Battle of Bramall Lane from 2002 when he assaulted Andy Johnson, had actually moved from Albion to United two years earlier having been one of Gary Megson’s first signings in March 2000. Paul Peschisolido, who scored 21 goals for the Baggies in the mid-nineties, also played for the Blades in that infamous match having signed for them in the summer of 2001. Rob Hulse, who was a key member of the Megson’s 2003/04 promotion team spent two seasons with United after moving from Leeds in the summer of 2006.

The late great Ian Hamilton, who spent six seasons with Albion in the nineties, moved to Sheffield United on leaving the Hawthorns in March 1998 playing more than 50 times for the Blades over three seasons. A couple of his teammates at the Hawthorns would also pass through Bramall Lane after leaving Albion – Shane Nicholson spent the 2001/02 season with the Blades while Shaun Murphy was there for four seasons before he returned to his native Australia.

Another ex-Baggie to pass away far too young was Ugo Ehiogu; his sale to Aston Villa in 1991 and subsequent move to Middlesbrough a decade later provided much-needed financial resources to Albion, and he ended his professional career with Sheffield United in 2009. Meanwhile, Imre Varadi, whose only season at the Hawthorns ended in relegation from the top flight in 1986, had moved to the Baggies from Sheffield Wednesday but his first professional club were their city rivals who he joined in 1978.

One for the history buffs, Teddy Sandford, who scored 76 goals for the Baggies in the 1930s, moved to Bramall Lane in 1939 playing his last five games in professional football for the Blades.

Stat Attack

Current Form

All competitions; most recent game on the right

Last matches

Last meeting

26 Apr 2023 – League Championship
Sheffield United 2 (Berge, Ahmedhodžić)
West Bromwich Albion 0

Last meeting at the Hawthorns

29 Oct 2022 – League Championship
West Bromwich Albion 0
Sheffield United 2 (Ndiaye, McBurnie)

Last win

11 Aug 2022 – League Cup 1st Round
West Bromwich Albion 1 (Grant)
Sheffield United 0

Albion’s Record against Sheffield United