Chris Wilder considering rotating his Sheffield United squad against Wolverhampton Wanderers
Jack O'Connell made a welcome return from the bench at Burnley on Sunday, but in the build-up, Wilder hailed the man who has started all six post-lockdown games in his place, Jack Robinson, as the Blades' best player since the season restarted.
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Hide AdWith the exception of O'Connell and the injured John Fleck and John Lundstram, Wilder named his strongest team at Turf Moor, keeping with the XI who beat Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.
“Maybe looking back now could we have changed it around a little bit more but you feel your team want to go again after such a positive performance and one of the best of our season,” he reflected after Sunday's 1-1 draw, and Wilder must now decide whether to make changes for Wolves.
“It's a possibility,” he said when asked if he might rotate his stretched squad. “I've got to pick the right side, I always try to do that.
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Hide Ad“Sometimes it's not always easy for people to understand but I see the players up close and personal, how they are and how they're feeling and the amount of effort they put in. They'll all want to go again it's just about me picking the right side. We are limited with the three boys being out and our squad being severely stretched.
“Unless someone's just opened up the transfer window and put £100m into our back pocket, there won't be many coming in!”
Sheffield United only named seven out of a possible nine substitutes against Spurs, and eight at Burnley with O'Connell's return.
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Hide AdWilder felt they looked “leggy” in Lancashire, and Premier League ever-presents Oliver Norwood and Chris Basham were amongst those substituted.
Like Wolves, the Blades have had an incredibly settled side this season, but those who have come from beyond the tight-knit group in recent weeks have added freshness.
Robinson made his first Premier League start for the Blades in the first game of the resumption, Ben Osborn his first for anyone against Tottenham. The latter was probably Sheffield United's best player three days later. Substitute Jack Rodwell was playing league football for the first time for the club when he replaced Basham.
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Hide Ad“There's always tough decisions and that's what I thrive on,” said Wilder. “I love those tough decisions, I've got no issue making them.
“I don't want the easy way out, I want Jack Robinson to be playing well, Jack O'Connell to be fit for 90 minutes, I want Fleck, (Luke) Freeman and Lundstram back, everybody firing on all cylinders and me having the toughest decisions I've ever made.
“When I'm in that situation, that pleases me the most. I'm not comfortable in having to make comfortable decisions. Tough decisions have to be made and people have to accept.
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Hide Ad“At the moment we're a bit stretched but we'll get on with it and produce performances like we have done over the last week.
“In all three games a lot of things have really pleased me. The attitude has been outstanding, the competitive nature from the big reverse at Manchester United has come back into us, which it had to.”
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