Chris Wilder's tongue-in-cheek plan to ease Sheffield United problem issue amid serious Leeds United point

Chris Wilder has already held informal discussions with the EFL over Sheffield United’s recent fixture congestion and after being essentially told that the Blades will just have to get on with it, is now considering more extreme measures. “What we’re thinking of doing,” the Blades boss said, “is losing eight out of our next 10. And then we might have a normal schedule, like everyone else does.”

Wilder’s tongue was very much in cheek. But his point was a valid one, after his table-topping side laboured to a 2-0 victory over struggling Plymouth Argyle in what was their third game in the space of six days. It was the second time in the last few weeks that they have had to cope with such a schedule, with their place at the top of the Championship inevitably leading to more exposure from those who select games for live television broadcast.

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But of all the top sides in the division Wilder’s squad is arguably the least-equipped to cope, as the laboured performance against Plymouth showed. The manager took responsibility afterwards, admitting he should have made more changes, but with key men such as Anel Ahmedhodzic, Tyrese Campbell, Vini Souza and Ollie Arblaster sidelined, plus Femi Seriki missing through injury, it was a case of needs-must in several areas.

United have enjoyed a rare free week ahead of this weekend’s trip to Cardiff City but the festive schedule will hit them hard again, facing three top sides in Burnley, West Brom and Sunderland in another six-day period. “I’ve said it before, we’ve got six players 22 and under playing at the top end of the Championship,” Wilder said. “Nobody else has got that. Nobody else. Not the team that’s below us [Leeds United] or any of the other teams below us in the top five or six.

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“I’m not complaining, and we have to accept that days like [against Plymouth] might happen and especially when you lose Tyrese for a couple of games and Vini, who’s a big player for us, is out. Anel being out really stretched the squad. Tom Davies has not played senior football for 90 minutes for more than two years and we’re trying to get him up to the 90-minute mark, but you could see he was flagging.

“You could see Sydie [Peck, 20] was flagging. There were a few out there who stuck the lot in. It was a big experience for us and I just think that just sums up Championship football in a nutshell ... and obviously made harder by the schedule that we’re having to deal with.”

United will hope to welcome back Ahmedhodzic, Campbell and Souza for this weekend’s trip to Cardiff, but exciting full-back Seriki is expected to be missing until after Christmas with a calf issue he picked up in the draw at West Brom earlier this month. Arblaster is set to miss the rest of the season with a devastating ACL injury he picked up in last month’s Steel City derby win over rivals Wednesday.