Casper de Norre Injury Concerns After Millwall's Defeat
Alex Neil fears the worst for influential midfielder Casper de Norre after the Belgian limped out of Millwall’s defeat to Wrexham – a moment the head coach called the “big turning point” in a bruising night.
De Norre, 29, pulled up shortly before half-time in Wednesday’s Championship clash with the score at 1-0. By full-time, Millwall had been swept aside 3-0 and Neil was left counting the cost as much as the goals.
“It’s not good,” he told BBC Radio London. “Senior players know their bodies and he’s definitely felt a pop of some kind.”
That was the alarm bell. The reshuffle that followed only underlined how stretched Millwall’s squad has become.
With de Norre forced off, Neil turned first to Camiel Neghli, rather than Derek Mazou-Sacko, who he admitted was nowhere near the minutes he ended up playing.
“Derek is not really quite ready to play – he was probably due to get about 20 minutes,” Neil said. “That’s why Camiel came on initially and then we put Derek on later on.”
From there, the problems piled up. The two young midfielders, Daniel Kelly and Jenson Metcalfe, began to cramp. Up front, Josh Coburn was hobbling with a heel issue. Millwall’s structure – and their energy – drained away.
“We ended up having to make wholesale changes,” Neil explained. “And the difficulty you’ve got with that is that the understanding throughout the players on the pitch is diluted.
“When you come up against an experienced team like Wrexham, it makes it a difficult task.”
The scoreline told its own story. So did Neil’s frustration. He laid bare just how thin his options have become.
“It’s frustrating because we’re probably down to our last third of the squad in terms of trying to get a team on the pitch and trying to be competitive at the level.”
The schedule offers no sympathy. Bolton arrive on Saturday, and Millwall will go into that game still juggling bodies and minutes. There is at least a sliver of relief on the horizon.
Neil is hopeful of having Tairyk Arconte and Kyrell Lisbie back in contention for the weekend. Romain Esse, re-signed from Crystal Palace, could also feature if he proves ready in time.
“We’ll see where he is, if he’s available and ready,” Neil said of Esse. “I don’t think he’s done loads over the pre-season so we need to be careful.”
Careful may be the only option. With de Norre facing an anxious wait and Millwall already down to what Neil calls the “last third” of his squad, the next team sheet will say plenty about how far this group can bend before it breaks.
