Chris Wilder reveals ‘challenging’ situation he’s facing at Sheffield United right now | OneFootball

Blades boss Chris Wilder has bemoaned injuries and illnesses to players over the last couple of days.

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has bemoaned multiple injuries and illnesses to players in the build up to their midweek clash against Norwich City, revealing players have been “dropping like flies” over the last 24-48 hours.

The Blades disappointingly dropped two points at home to the relegation-threatened Canaries at Bramall Lane on Tuesday evening, as their run of four successive victories came to an end.

Danny Ings put the hosts in front early into the second half, but a 65th-minute own goal from Djibril Soumare meant it finished all square in the Steel City.

Norwich would have felt disappointed to not come away with maximum points though, as substitute Amankwah Forson spurned a golden opportunity in the dying embers of the game, with Blades keeper Michael Cooper coming to the rescue to touch wide his low effort.

The results sees Sheffield United sit 17th in the second-tier table, and the turnaround doesn’t get any easier with a trip to The Hawthorns on Friday night to face an out-of-sorts West Brom side.

Recovery is paramount for Sheffield United as they now turn their attentions to the Baggies, but they could only be able to bring a limited squad again given Wilder’s comments surrounding some of the players’ fitness.

As reported by Yahoo Sport, Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder was left exasperated by injury and illness problems to a lot of his playing squad before their meeting with the Canaries.

He described players “dropping like flies”, which saw the Blades boss make eight changes following their 4-0 thumping over Stoke City.

Wilder said: “I’ve got to say, personally for myself and the coaches, it’s possibly one of the most challenging last 24-48 hours that we’ve had. Players dropping out like flies and stuff like that.

“I think you always understand as a manager, every decision you make is put under the spotlight. One of those decisions that I made today for that team selection wasn’t a tactical one, it was a physical situation.

“Should have won it I think, in my opinion. But you’ve got to give the opposition credit. They started brighter than us.

“We started to get back in the game and created some good chances, got ourselves in front. I can’t fault the players’ attitude, can’t really fault the players’ application in trying to win the game.

“We’d love to have kept the run going, the winning run, but we haven’t. We’ve got to reset and go again Friday (against West Brom) and see who’s available.”

Sheffield United squad could be stretched for West Brom trip

Eyebrows were certainly raised when the Sheffield United teamsheet was released prior to kick off against Norwich City, with only Michael Cooper, Japhet Tanganga and Femi Seriki keeping their places from the victory over Stoke last weekend.

Notable absentees were Mark McGuinness, Sydie Peck, Sam McCallum, Jairo Riedweald and Ben Mee.

So many enforced changes had to have disrupted and disjointed the playing squad in a game that they were expected to claim three points, and that aspect will be frustrating for Chris Wilder to accept when they should have kept their winning streak going.

One positive note was that Ollie Arblaster made his first start in a Blades shirt for over a year, and having his presence back among the ranks will be vital for Sheffield United maintaining a rise up the second-tier table.

But with just two days to go until another matchday against Ryan Mason’s West Brom, there are big doubts over whether some of the players who missed out tonight will return in the Black Country, possibly leaving Blades with a similar sort of team as they fielded against the Canaries.

It’s a challenging period for Wilder to deal with as the Championship games come thick and fast, but he must ensure his side keep ticking over with points to not derail the positive momentum that they’ve created recently.