How Paul Heckingbottom banished Sheffield United fan theory with clever move v Wolves

One of the criticisms from a section of the Sheffield United fanbase towards Paul Heckingbottom is that the Blades chief has no ‘plan B’, despite him having to adapt and overcome various challenges throughout his time in charge. A run of injuries that stretches back as far as many can remember has often led to Heckingbottom using square pegs in round holes.

An injury-enforced switch to a back four earlier this season against Manchester United produced a first-half display that was, at the time, the best 45 minutes of football United had produced all season, even if the following game brought United back down to earth with a 5-0 defeat at Arsenal. It was telling that Heckingbottom reverted to the 3-5-2 shape that has brought so much success for United as soon as he could, with George Baldock filling in in an unfamiliar - if not totally alien - position on the right of United’s back three.

The planning for that set-up began even before the trip to the Emirates, with Baldock back and available on the bench but United opting against rushing him back and opting to retain the back four to keep O’Neil and Wolves’ scouts on the hop. It was a brave approach, especially considering the outside noise that suggested that defeat at the Emirates would cost Heckingbottom his job, but it certainly paid off.

“We were planning ahead before Arsenal, seeing how Wolves had gone and how we wanted to set up against them,” Heckingbottom said afterwards. “It was one of the reasons we stayed with a four at Arsenal; I wanted Gary to plan for us playing a back four. I felt that was going to give us a slight advantage by switching to a five and how we used Cam and Gus within that system.

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“There’s no way Gary could have prepared for it because we’ve not played that way yet. I think moments like that are really good and trying to get players minutes to have them ready to perform. We’re always thinking that way, so we’ll look at those moments.”

Another tactical tweak was key to victory over Wolves, with Rhian Brewster making way just before half-time after feeling his knee. Brewster went into the game with the issue and was due to go off at the break anyway but the change brought James McAtee into the game and saw United operate with a defacto front three, of him, Archer and Gus Hamer. Heckingbottom and his staff had spotted an opportunity to exploit Wolves’ set-up and in McAtee, they had the perfect weapon to carry the ball and execute it.

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It will be interesting to see how United’s back three - if it remains - lines up at Brighton this weekend, after being switched mid-game against Wolves. With the lanky Sasa Kalajdzic proving a difficult proposition for Auston Trusty, and the lively Hwang Hee-chan and Nélson Semedo looking threatening down the right against Luke Thomas and Jack Robinson, a simple switch saw Robinson’s role uncomplicated and Trusty’s athleticism match up well against Hwang and Semedo.

Now, preparations and planning will shift towards a tough trip to Brighton before two games after the international break - against two of their relegation rivals in Burnley and Bournemouth - that could define their season. Whatever tests and challenges those outings throw up, Heckingbottom and his staff will have ‘a plan B’ - and the rest.