Not for the first time this season, Canary boss Glenn Roeder will have some big decisions to make ahead of Tuesday night's trip to St Mary's.
And after this weekend's 0-0 draw at Oakwell, no surprises as to wher he, nis No2 Lee Clark and first team coach Paul Stephenson will concentrate most of their thoughts – in the front half of his goal-shy team.
Two clean sheets on the bounce – and all with the rearguard reshuffle prompted by Dejan Stefanovic's immediate return to the side – suggests that there is little or nothing to worry about in that department.
Besides right now David Marshall is saving everything anyone can throw at him – be they Kevin Phillips, Danny Webber, Jon Macken or, indeed, his Beckham-esque team-mate, Diego Leon.
Further forward, however, and Roeder's best-laid plans have yet to click wholly into gear – his quest to bolt a few more goals into his defensively-sound 2008-2009 outfit not helped by a lingering hamstring strain for his top-scorer Arturo Lupoli.
The 21-year-old, on-loan Italian was the big absentee yesterday. Without him and the City chief again placed his faith in Darel Russell ahead of either of his two remaining natural-born strikers – Jamie Cureton and Omar Koroma.
Going with Russell up top had – of course – repurcussions further down the side as Matty Pattison partnered skipper Mark Fotheringham in centre-midfield.
The big question for Roeder now is whether or not to slam Russell back into his preferred central midfield role should Lupoli make the trip to Southampton.
The latest injury bulletin suggested that the Fiorentina forward will be back in contention to face the Saints after Pattison proved the swifter healer this weekend.
“Where Matty's hamstring improved enough for him to start the game, Arturo's hamstring hadn't improved enough [for him to start the game] but I'm pretty confident he'll be fit for Tuesday,” Roeder told BBC Radio Norfolk afterwards.
Slams him in alongside Antoine Sibierski whose lone header all but provided Norwich's only moment of attacking note and the City chief will then have to decide which two from three he perms for that central midfield gig. Russell back with Fotheringham? Pattison with Fotheringham… and all in the knowledge that two from three will become two from four once Northern Ireland international Sammy Clingan recovers from his shoulder injury. In theory after the forthcoming, two-week international break.
Listening again to Roeder's thoughts and it was to that midfield area that most of his attention was turning. The initiative, he claimed, was lost from almost the very first minute as Tykes Spanish midfielder Diego Leon lofted one goalward from inside his own half.
“Right from that moment we seemed to be second to far too many balls in midfield – we weren't controlling the midfield the way that they were controlling the midfield,” said Roeder. “And who ever gains the upper hand in midfield often has the momentum with them and Barnsley had that. They had us on the back foot for too long a period…”
For all the qualities that Fotheringham, Pattison and, indeed, Russell offer, the one thing none of them do is height. At six-foot two, the fit-again Brazilian Anderson de Silva is your classic, modern-day midfielder. A six-foot plus athlete.
One of those could well be added to Roeder's New Year shopping list – fresh funding permitting, of course.
“The positive is that, since I've been at the club, when we've played like that we've always lost. So it's nice to get a point when you know you can do a lot better,” added Roeder. “And a point away from home is always a very valuable point and we look forward to the game at Southampton now.”
The biggest positive of all thus far this season has probably been the form of City No1 David Marshall. Of all Peter Grant's bequests, the one-time Celtic protege looks likely to prove the best investment he made in his luckless 12 months at the club. Pound for pound rather better than David Strihavka.
“I don't know how he back-pedalled so quickly to tip it over,” said Roeder afterwards, after the Canary keeper refused to be embarrassed by Leon's audacious lob. Or beaten by Jon Macken's penalty after Pattison's hand-ball.
“I think that's the fourth one he's faced already which is a ridiculous number,” added the City chief. “But it's nice to see him save one.”
Leave a Reply