Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder says big decisions regarding selection are to be made ahead of his side’s clash with Manchester United on Wednesday.
United desperately need a win to stave off the inevitability of relegation to the Championship after a 4-1 home defeat to Burnley on Saturday left the club rooted to the bottom of the table 10 points from safety.
Wilder, who was critical of his team’s attitude after their latest loss, said: “The feeling among the squad was low as its been [after the Burnley game]. The goals we conceded on Saturday are just part of a catalogue of really poor goals we’ve conceded this season.
“Big selection decisions will be made ahead of the Man Utd game, and the disappointment we are feeling at the moment can only be rectified by our performance on Wednesday.”
The Blades must realistically win all of their remaining five fixtures if they are to have a chance of survival, a likely impossible task with the side registering only three victories so far this season.
Wilder remained tight-lipped about whether goalkeeper Ivo Grbic would keep the No.1 shirt over Wes Foderingham, with the Croatian’s performances coming under criticism since his January arrival from Atletico Madrid.
The manager said: “I know there was talk of subbing Ivo at half-time on Saturday. I obviously want all the players to do well, whether they arrived in January or have been here before I was, but we need to keep the standard high.”
The pressures of managing a limited Premier League squad in a relegation battle is another issue hampering Wilder as he seeks to motivate his team to produce an unlikely result against 7th-placed Man Utd.
“It’s difficult because we have players that are injured, players that are out of contract, loan players and young players just trying to find their feet, so there are a lots of moving parts that bringing together on matchday is a challenge.”
Wilder confirmed that fan favourite Jack Robinson would remain sidelined for the trip to Old Trafford, with the centre-back having missed the last two games with an ankle injury.
The Blades will be hoping to capitalise on possible fatigue among their opponents after Man Utd endured a taxing FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City on Sunday, ultimately progressing to the final on penalties.
Wilder said: “People have been talking about Man Utd negatively but it’s a huge football club with a fantastic group of players that play risk and reward football.
“We’ll be looking for every advantage, it was tough afternoon emotionally for them on Sunday but they came through it.”
With 88 goals conceded already this season, the Blades will be keen to avoid breaking the unwanted record of most Premier League goals conceded in a 38-game Premier League season, with the record currently standing at 89 [Derby County in 2007/08].
On the side’s defensive woes, Wilder said: “Defending is something we have to get so much better at, too often we’ve gone too quickly from one to two to three mistakes within games this season.”
Manchester Utd vs Sheffield Utd takes place at Old Trafford at 8pm on Wednesday.
