, Sheffield United comment: Jokanovic must make these changes to accommodate Ben Davies’ skill set

Sheffield United comment: Jokanovic must make these changes to accommodate Ben Davies’ skill set

Sheffield United surprised many during their first season back in the Premier League in their 2019/20 campaign. A tidy 9th place finish is evidence of that.

Sheffield United fans might have been expecting much the same last season. However, it was disappointment they experienced as the Blades suffered a humbling relegation.

Chris Wilder went before the season was out and Slavisa Jokanovic was appointed during the summer as his replacement.

Jokanovic has been charged with ultimately getting the Blades back to the Premier League. They will need to move on from a chastening, opening-day defeat to Birmingham City.

New faces are likely to be needed and Sheffield United are doing just that. After much media noise, the club have formally announced the loan signing of Liverpool defender Ben Phillips on a season-long loan.

What will Ben Davies bring to Sheffield United?

Above all, Ben Davies will bring Championship experience to Sheffield United – 129 games of it.

However, experience isn’t all that Davies has in his armoury – far from it. There are many other benefits that the 26-year-old centre-back has that will benefit the Blades.

Here’s what Sheffield United fans can expect from Davies on a typical per 90 mins basis – data derived courtesy of WhoScored player page.

  • Tackles Completed: 1.2 from 1.4 (87.5% success)
  • Interceptions: 1.4
  • Clearances: 4.3
  • Blocks: 1.1
  • Total Defensive Actions: 6
  • Passes Completed: 31.8 from 40.2 attempts (79.1% accurate)
  • Possession Loss: 0.3 (0.2 bad touches/0.1 dispossessed)
  • Headed Duels: 3.1 won from 4.9 contested (63.3% success)
  • Cards: 0.1 yellow card

Ben Davies - Sheffield United target

What does all this mean for the Blades’ game?

What Sheffield United will get out of this move for Ben Davies are numerous. As well as experience of the Championship, Davies will bring different levels to a Blades side with a shortage of specialist central defenders.

He’s a defender who is solid and assured (87.5% success) in the tackle and he is also tidy in possession, losing very few (0.3) balls over a typical 90 minutes.

It’s not only the defensive side of his game that will bring levels to Sheffield United’s football, he has other facets that he contributes as well.

He is accurate (79.1%) with his passing game and he also passes at a high volume (40.2 attempts) over a typical 90-minute game. This would allow him to help get the Blades on the front foot and into attacking mode.

He also has a good temperament, only earning a yellow card every 10 games or so based on his per-90 return of 0.1 yellows.

Thoughts?

Sheffield United need central defenders; they only have Chris Basham and John Egan as out-and-out central defensive options.

Bringing in Ben Davies from Liverpool will not only give the Blades a left-sided centre-back option but one who is ready to hit the ground running.

Not only that, but the Liverpool loanee would complement the game that the Blades play, becoming an effective cog in the South Yorkshire club’s machine.

Bringing Davies in is a no-brainer for Slavisa Jokanovic and Sheffield United – he is a player who you should expect to be the Blades go-to centre-back option.

Jokanovic will need to make changes in his line-up to allow for Davies’ arrival from Anfield. These changes will pay dividends as his passing game and defensive qualities are just what the Blades will need across this season.

Making those changes, putting Davis into the line-up, will see a stronger, more cohesive Sheffield United unit.

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