Chris Wilder explains second half substitutions as Sheffield United's lack of depth bites against Norwich City
Sheffield United lost 3-1 to Norwich City to end their unbeaten start to the season
Chris Wilder was moved to explain his second half substitutions in the defeat to Norwich City as current injuries and lack of depth in the squad put square peg in round holes as the Blades chased the game.
United were already down 3-1 and chasing the game when two of Wilder’s most attacking players in Romelle Donovan and Ben Brereton Diaz and replaced them on the flanks with Ollie Arblaster and Jamie Shackleton.
“I've just been asked the question, why did I take Romelle off and Ben [Brereton Diaz] off? Because what I'm going to do is I'm going to take my best players off,” he said sarcastically.
“Because I believe when we’re 3-1 down, even though they were in the ascendancy and they had control of the game, knowing that Pat goes through and scores, it might not be that we deserved it, it might be an interesting last five or 10 minutes and why we're keeping them on the pitch.
“Just for clarity on things like that, they gas themselves out, they tap themselves out and then we're done. Because of the situation with Ryan [One] and because of the situation with [Tahith] Chong, I really can't afford to push them through to 95 minutes because it really opens it up for them to break down the amount of games that they've got. That was that.”
United are back in action agaisnt Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Tuesday night and Wilder still has a squad who are still finding their feet from a fitness perspective while others are out injured, including two full-backs in Femi Seriki and Harrison Burrows.
Matt Doherty was unable to make the squad against Norwich with Wilder stating that the former Wolves defender had been ill this week.