Sheffield United should not be where they are. According to possession, shots, shots on target and touches in the opposition box, they were second best in their win at Blackburn Rovers earlier this week. They won the match anyway. That, in six games, has become the defining pattern of their Championship season.

After six fixtures the Blades sit two points off the automatic promotion places. That is a genuinely encouraging position, and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise. It is also, for now, built on sand. A run of four or five wins in this division has a habit of flattering squads whose weaknesses have not yet been properly exposed. United's have not gone away.

What is working

Goalkeeper Michael Cooper has been in excellent form, making saves that have kept results alive when the underlying numbers pointed the other way. The squad has shown a willingness to defend set pieces, win second balls and take the limited chances that have fallen to them. Tom Cannon, heavily criticised in pre-season, already has three league goals. He managed six across the whole of last campaign. If he sustains anything close to that rate, United have a genuine threat up front.

More broadly, the character in the dressing room looks real. These are players who reached the Championship play-off final in 2025, who know what a promotion push demands physically and mentally. That experience does not expire overnight, even when the squad around it thins out.

The problems that will not disappear

The Blades lost André Brooks, Gustavo Hamer and Callum O'Hare in the summer, three of their most creative players, and have not replaced them adequately. Signings have been restricted to free agents and loan deals. That matters across a 46-game season: depth is not a luxury in the Championship, it is a minimum requirement.

Off the pitch the situation is more troubling still. The EFL and the Independent Football Regulator are investigating the transfer of club ownership to a new parent company, with an outstanding debt of £35m to former owners United World from COH Sports Bidco Ltd, the company used to purchase the club in December 2024, which has since been wound up by the High Court. A points deduction remains a live threat, and co-chairmen Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy have left serious questions unanswered. Manager Chris Wilder has also lost long-time assistant Alan Knill, with Mickey Collins stepping up to the number-two role and former Manchester United defender Phil Jones brought in as a coaching addition.

Wilder himself has admitted he is still searching for the right system, style and formation to get the best from his squad. After six games that admission carries more weight than the league position does.

Where does this leave the play-off picture?

Automatic promotion looks a stretch unless the squad is reinforced and the off-pitch uncertainty is resolved. But the play-offs, at this stage of the season, are a reasonable target. The Championship table is volatile in September; six games tell you very little about where clubs will be in March. United will need more than graft and goalkeeper heroics once sides have worked them out.

The comparison with twelve months ago is striking. At the same point last season the Blades had no points, sat bottom of the table, and Chris Wilder had been replaced temporarily and, by general consensus, disastrously, by Ruben Selles. That context matters. This group has already demonstrated it can respond to difficulty.

Whether character alone is enough to carry a squad that has lost its three best creative players into the top six by May is a different question entirely. The honest answer, six games in, is that nobody knows. What is clear is that if the points deduction materialises, or if the injury list bites into a thin squad, the gap between where United are and where they want to be will widen quickly. The Blades are worth watching. They are not yet worth backing unconditionally.

Frequently asked

Are Sheffield United in the Championship play-off places this season?
After six Championship games in September 2026, Sheffield United sit two points off the automatic promotion places. They are not yet in the top six but are close to the play-off positions, according to the BBC.
Could Sheffield United face a points deduction this season?
Yes, it remains a live possibility. The EFL and the Independent Football Regulator are investigating the transfer of club ownership, with an outstanding debt of £35m connected to the company used to buy the club in December 2024, which has since been wound up by the High Court.
How has Tom Cannon performed for Sheffield United so far this season?
Cannon has made a strong start, scoring three Championship goals in the opening six games. That matches his rate from last season, when he managed just six goals across the entire campaign.