Wilder accuses Sheffield United players of ‘arrogance’ after shock cup exit | OneFootball

Chris Wilder accused his Sheffield United players of showing “entitlement and arrogance” after they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Fleetwood Town.

The Blades were beaten 1-0, with Wilder particularly unhappy with the way his side started the second half and moved away from the plan discussed at the interval.

“We were okay in the first half,” Wilder said. “We had some good opportunities. They did too, and we knew that would happen.

“We knew that we had to get out of the trap second half and go through the gears a little bit. We had more gears in us but we decided to take a backward step.”

Wilder felt the decisive goal summed up his side’s display.

“Three or four mistakes in there and an own goal,” he added. “That gives them a huge lift, which is what I told them at half-time.

“Players wanted to go off plan, and we have to own it. It’s an incredibly disappointing night, regardless of the amount of changes that we made. That’s nonsense.”

The Sheffield United boss also suggested some players had failed to take their opportunity to push for a place in his starting 11 for their league fixtures.

“I wanted a problem going into Thursday and Friday and who to pick on Saturday,” Wilder said.

“I haven’t got a problem now. I know exactly what players that I need to pick and which players are not playing for a reason.

“The biggest thing for me, that’s done me, is the first 15 minutes of the second half,F

“Players that just thought that the game had come to them, and a sense of entitlement and arrogance. Thinking: ‘We’ll be OK.’

“Football doesn’t work like that. We went off plan and we got hurt. We’re not good enough to go off plan.”