Liam Cooper update with admission made on Sheffield Wednesday defence juggle
A key Sheffield Wednesday man is cleared to play this weekend - though things may have to be juggled in the coming fortnight.
Any lingering concern over the condition of Sheffield Wednesday centre-half Liam Cooper has been extinguished after Owls boss Henrik Pedersen confirmed the veteran defender was free to take on AFC Wimbledon this weekend.
Cooper sustained a nasty cut to his head that required stitching following last weekend’s comeback draw at Huddersfield Town, but was not subject to concussion protocol after he was cleared by medics. “It was not a concussion and he was checked by the doctor and all the people,” Pedersen told The Star. “There was no concussion and he was fine afterwards. So there were no problems.”
Wednesday may well struggle to stick with a set defence in the coming fortnight, with five matches arriving in the space of 15 days including back-to-back Tuesday evening fixtures. Cooper has already had to be managed through his minutes at stages of the campaign, with Di’Shon Bernard only recently returned from a 19-month injury absence, Sil Swinkels in the late stages of recovery and Ricardo Santos having picked up a fresh concern.
“We have ideas now for Saturday and Tuesday and how it could look like for some players,” Pedersen said when asked whether there is an outline plan on how the defence could be managed. “And then for Saturday and Tuesday next week, because then we have four days before we play the Sunday game. So it's mostly those four games. For the Sunday game, then we can breathe a little bit. But of course, we need to plan over four games. But first of all, we need to plan how we can win the game tomorrow.”
It’s understood that at times in the campaign Cooper and others have been placed on a specific training programme in order to handle the intensity of a League One fixture schedule.
Pedersen continued: “There is a big management part in this, because only some players can play all the games. With some players, we know if they play up to 70 minutes, then they can also play Tuesday without problem. If they get more than 70 minutes, then we know they can struggle Tuesday.
“Some players, we also know, one or two, if they play on Saturday, then they have no chance to play Tuesday. So every single player has a journey and then we will have a plan for the best possible way to plan it, as good as we can, especially from Saturday and Tuesday. Then we have one extra day to Saturday (v Blackpool), but again, Saturday and Tuesday. But I'm sure we will come through this in a very good way.”