Hull City are told this is why Sheffield United will be ready for whatever they throw at them

Speaking ahead of a match which could see his second placed team open up a 14 point lead over the Championship’s third placed side, United manager Paul Heckingbottom revealed analysts tasked with studying their recent fixtures have identified the emergence of several important trends being followed by opponents.

The data they collect is being used to help Heckingbottom and his assistants Stuart McCall and Jack Lester decide the agenda of United’s sessions at the Randox Health Academy, where United have spent the week preparing for the visit of Liam Rosenior’s team.

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Earlier this month, Heckingbottom noted how rival clubs were beginning to focus on reducing the effectiveness of United’s pressing game in key areas of the pitch. That is thought to have been one of the catalysts for his decision to trial a new formation when they travelled to Millwall in the FA Cup earlier this month. But events during the win over Stoke City, which saw United strengthen their grip on an automatic promotion position, have prompted Heckingbottom to suspect another tactic could soon become commonplace.

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With United’s preferred 3-5-2 system demanding two of their three centre-halves, including Anel Ahmedhodzic, also contribute towards attacks in open play, Heckingbottom said: “You could see what they (Stoke) wanted to do. They were splitting their forwards to try and prevent Anel from getting out.”

“We try and prepare for every eventuality,” he continued. “Because, in this league, you just never know how it’s going to pan out. All sorts of things get thrown at you and you’ve got to be ready for that.”

United could be forced to unveil a new look forward line against Hull with Iliman Ndiaye limping-out of the meeting with Stoke and Oli McBurnie not thought to have fully recovered from the ankle injury which has troubled him of late.

“Even if we don’t have the ball,” said Heckingbottom, who regularly asks squad members to help devise tactics, “Then we still want to be in control without it. That’s something we’ve been doing well.”

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