Saturday’s Championship play-off final offers more than just a ticket to the Premier League—it brings two contrasting football philosophies into direct confrontation.
Sheffield United, bruised by recent top-flight failure, meet a Sunderland side revitalised by youth and tactical reinvention. It’s hard to predict the Championship final, without doing a dive into their tactics.
Here’s how both clubs are approaching the game—and who might edge the most valuable fixture in English football.
EFL Championship
Sunderland: A Progressive Philosophy Under Le Bris
Sunderland’s return to the upper echelons of the Championship has been nothing short of transformative. With Régis Le Bris at the helm, the Black Cats have blended fluid structure with fearless youth, making them one of the division’s most watchable teams. That style could give them the edge on the big Wembley stage.
One key to their success has been the adaptability of their back line and deep midfield. Le Bris regularly morphs a nominal 4-2-3-1 into a build-up structure that includes three players at the back and two deep midfielders. This allows them to bait the opposition into pressing before exploiting the space left behind. Luke O’Nien and Dan Ballard are trusted to circulate the ball patiently, with goalkeeper Anthony Patterson often stepping out as an auxiliary defender. This approach draws opponents forward, allowing Sunderland to bypass lines and exploit spaces between midfield and defence.
Further forward, it’s the fluidity of their midfield triangle that sets them apart. Jobe Bellingham, Dan Neil, and teenager Chris Rigg offer a mixture of poise, physicality, and movement that has flummoxed many Championship defences. Rigg, in particular, has shown a knack for drifting into spaces between the lines, drawing defenders with him and opening corridors for wide runners. The team’s attacking width isn’t just about hugging touchlines—it’s about when and how to stretch the pitch, and Sunderland have mastered that timing.
Sunderland’s semi-final victory over Coventry was emblematic of their identity: determined, strategic, and willing to take risks. Dan Ballard’s last-gasp header summed up a side that doesn’t just play to its strengths, but adapts to the chaos of knock-out football with maturity far beyond its average age.
Sheffield United: Structure, Experience, and Sheffield Steel
While Sunderland embody innovation, Sheffield United under Chris Wilder remain the masters of structural discipline and in-possession detail. Their 6-0 aggregate demolition of Bristol City in the semi-finals was a statement of ruthlessness, and a reminder that this squad knows exactly what’s required to escape the Championship.
Central to their plan is the role of Gustavo Hamer. Although he often starts on the left of midfield, Hamer drifts into deep and narrow areas to link play—effectively transforming the shape into a temporary three-man midfield. This movement creates numerical superiority against most pressing units and drags defenders out of position. As a result, space opens up for the likes of Callum O’Hare or Tyrese Campbell to run into, giving United varied avenues to progress the ball.
Just as important is the width and timing of their full-backs—especially Harrison Burrows on the left. With Hamer drifting inside, Burrows is tasked with stretching the play and delivering balls from advanced areas. His runs are calculated and often come late, just as the opposition’s attention is drawn to central rotations. Against Bristol City, it was Burrows’ overlapping and cut-backs that repeatedly caused havoc.
United also benefit from the defensive leadership of Anel Ahmedhodžić and Harry Souttar, both of whom are not just physical presences but also composed ball-carriers. Their ability to bypass the first line of pressure with passes or surging runs allows Sheffield United to turn defence into attack swiftly, bypassing midfield blocks altogether.
That said, there are vulnerabilities. United’s rest defence can sometimes look exposed if full-backs are caught high, and their reliance on Hamer’s creativity means a good man-marking job on him can severely limit their rhythm. Sunderland, with their intelligent pressing structure and transitional awareness, may be the best-equipped side in the league to capitalise on that.
The Verdict
This is a final that pits structure against spontaneity, control against creativity, and pragmatism against youth-driven dynamism. Both teams have a blueprint capable of delivering victory, but the match could come down to whose system holds up under the pressure of Wembley’s cauldron.
Sunderland’s adaptable build-up and midfield movement could pull Wilder’s rigid system apart, especially if they isolate Hamer and limit his influence on possession. But if United can control transitions and allow their full-backs to influence the game, they have the tools—and the experience—to overpower Le Bris’ idealists.
One thing is certain: the Championship is waving goodbye to a highly intelligent, tactically charged campaign—and whoever wins on Saturday will deserve their place in the Premier League.
