Chris Wilder responds to questions over his substitutions in Norwich defeat

Chris Wilder has defended his decision to substitute Romello Donovan and Ben Brereton-Diaz during Sheffield United’s 3-1 defeat to Norwich City.

The Blades were searching for a way back into the contest when Wilder made the changes, but the Sheffield United boss explained that both players had reached the point where they could no longer maintain their intensity.

Wilder appeared to respond sarcastically when questioned about taking the pair off, suggesting that the decision was not about removing his best performers while his side were chasing the game.

“I’ve just been asked the question, ‘Why did I take Romello off and Ben off?’ Because what I’m going to do is take my best players off,” he said.

The Sheffield United manager explained that he was also considering the possibility of his side scoring a late goal and creating a tense finish.

“When we’re 3-1 down, even though they were in the ascendancy and had control of the game, Pat goes through and scores and it might be an interesting last five or 10 minutes, whether we deserved it or not.”

However, Wilder stressed that continuing to push Donovan and Brereton-Diaz for the full 90 minutes could have increased the risk of fatigue and injury.

“Just for clarity on things like that, they gas themselves out, they tap themselves out and then we’re done,” he added.

The Blades boss also pointed to the demanding schedule facing his players, saying he could not afford to overwork them given the number of matches they have to play.

“I really can’t afford to push them through to 95 minutes because it opens it up for them to break down, considering the amount of games they’ve got. That was that.”

Wilder’s explanation comes after Sheffield United’s unbeaten start was ended by Norwich, with the Blades ultimately suffering a 3-1 defeat.