Sheffield United produced an excellent second half to the season in the Championship and were a penalty shoot-out away from Wembley Stadium in the play-offs.
Paul Heckingbottom inherited a squad reeling off the back of relegation from the Premier League at the back end of 2021, went back to basics and produced some scintillating performances, particularly at Bramall Lane, seeing them finish fifth in the second tier.
Heckingbottom would like to operate with a thinner squad than he has this term to kick on in 2022/23 and he explained why when he spoke to the Sheffield Star.
He said: "We wanted to bring the numbers down and we’ve done that.
"I’m not saying we were but you don’t want a bloated group.
"In a way, I actually think it improves competition (for places) because everyone knows they are involved.
"You don’t have people here who feel as if it doesn’t matter what they do, that they are a long way off the eleven or matchday team.
"And it also enables you to use the money you have better, as far as I’m concerned anyway."
United were stacked in certain areas of the pitch this season and it is easy to see why squad morale could be higher, with a greater percentage of the squad seeing regular minutes.
The Verdict
The worry, of course, in operating with a thin squad is the floor is lower for the team if an injury crisis occurs.
Due to the scheduling of the World Cup this winter, fixture congestion could be rife once again in the EFL and that tends to lead to injuries.
The Blades are content and trusting in their youth setup to supply talented players for the first team, but it is important they are managed correctly, and not relied upon too much too soon.
It is going to be more difficult for the Blades to compete towards the top end next season, with three clubs coming down from the Premier League, some with TV money left over, and parachute payments enhancing their capabilities in the transfer market.
