In a season of heartaches, cruel blows and crushing disappointments, yesterday’s was right up there and, no doubt like most others, chez Gowers was an unhappy place last night.
Yet it was so typically Norwich. Another in a long, long line of ‘what could have beens’.
It was *almost* so perfect:
Show the league leaders respect, but not too much respect ✔
Set up in a way that will make us hard to break down ✔
And in a way that also offers an attacking threat ✔
Dig in when under pressure ✔
No silly individual errors ✔
Show some ✔
City did all of those things, except for one crucial 10 second spell when it really counted. When everything was on the line.
How costly it will ultimately be will only be revealed in the next two months.
While on this occasion the feeling of despair was around the result rather than the performance, we departed the King Power with the same number of points when exiting stage left at St James’ and Villa Park.
Yes, there was a feeling of restored pride and renewed hope, but neither are currency in which Premier League safety is traded. Points and points alone are the only route to 17th place – and lots of them.
The cold, hard facts are that in 2016 City have played nine, won one, drawn one and lost seven, during which time they have scored eight and conceded 22. They’ve taken a single point from their last seven league games and have gone 14 PL games on the road without a clean sheet.
Le Saux and Lineker both think it looks grim. For once it was hard to disagree. (Keown just mumbled and stared).
Some sought comfort in the fact that finally Alex had finally found a formation that ticked all the boxes. I’m not so sure.
Three at the back (five at times) certainly worked yesterday when faced with the rarity that is twin strikers but I’m not convinced it’s one that will be needed when faced with a lone striker, which is nearly every week.
Three centre-backs, only one of whom has quality on the ball, strikes me as overkill in that scenario and I expect us to return to the 4-2-3-1 on Tuesday evening. Yesterday’s formation, for me, has potential to leave us horribly exposed in wide areas and always just one hoof down the flanks away from back-peddling. But what do I know…
However, one huge, gigantic plus we have when operating as we did at the King Power is that in Robbie Brady and Ivo Pinto we have two who are just made to be wing-backs.
That yesterday’s brought out the best in both is not in question, although the latter will certainly be undergoing some extra-curricular training in the art of one-on-one defending, if not now then during next pre-season. And it stifles the tiresome debate around Brady’s best position.
But credit to Alex for identifying a system that did to Leicester what many have been unable to achieve.
Vardy proved yesterday that, while his one trick is a very effective one, if is he isn’t offered oodles of green grass to run into he’s far less dangerous, and Mahrez, while he’s a shoo-in for 2016’s summer transfer saga, can disappear in games for long spells if denied time and space (even though he did have Tettey and Klose on toast in one mazy first-half dribble).
And the much-vaunted central midfield pairing of Kante and Drinkwater struggled to gain the upper hand over Jonny Howson and Alex Tettey; Howson in particular having the type of afternoon that will ensure he’s a Premier League player next season, be it in yellow or a different colour.
But for all the good we were unable to find a way past Kasper Schmeichel and mustered just a single shot on goal in 95 minutes.
Nathan Redmond’s second-half rocket had the Dane scrambling and he’d have been helpless if Cameron Jerome’s first-half header had gone the other side of the post, but with the breakthrough never coming there was a horrible inevitability about Ulloa’s late late winner.
In the final reckoning, if the worst were to happen, City’s downfall wouldn’t be down to defensive vulnerability alone. We have four joint-leading goalscorers – they have four goals each. Jerome has scored three times.
Half-chances for City come and go. At the other end of the pitch a higher proportion end up in the back of the net. The margins are fine but when they almost invariably go against you the struggle is uphill. It’s why we are where we are.
But, if yesterday proved anything it was that the will and desire is still there, and there is indeed still fire in the belly. And while it’s there we still have a chance.
The break in Abu Dhabi did appear to have a positive effect on the collective mind and there was no denying the passionate backing afforded by the Yellow Army.
We’re still alive, kicking and fighting. Ignore the bookies… it ain’t over ’til it’s over.
Great article Gary, whilst agreeing with most of it I cannot share your opinion of playing Robbie Brady at wing back.
He was bought as an attacking midfielder and indeed when he first arrived looked a lot better player going forward than at present, with all his defensive inadequacies evident, I would like to see him linking up with Matt Jarvis down the left flank, but there again we all have our own opinions.
After yesterdays performance if we carry on playing with the effort and desire that we did then I don’t think that too many supporters can
complain.
Given the fact that the Team and the Management (INCLUDING THE BOARD) have shown their inexperience this season in what is required to stay in the Premiership, all we can hope for is a Miracle, if not then its another big effort for next season, next couple of months will tell.
Regards
Colin
Michael Bailey put it succinctly yesterday – it was a tale of two teams, one of whom it’s their season, the other of whom it just isn’t. I can’t see us staying up unless we put a natural goal scorer up top from now on. But I won’t despair, a year in the Championship perfecting his game plan is probably what AN needs having learnt some harsh lessons in the Prem. And he’ll take us back up all the stronger for it.
PS I can only see us getting 8 points between now and May. Six from Newcastle and Sunderland and one each from Swansea and Watford. If we’re lucky.
The disappointment is that, currently, however hard we try, however well we play and whatever side or system we play the outcome in terms of points is usually the same. If we are good enough to hold the league leaders on their ground for 89 minutes why are we not good enough to see out the last five? And if we are good enough to go two goals up why are we not good enough to see it out? The answer is the lack of mental strength of the players. And should we be surprised? Bassong is heading for his 4th relegation from the premiership. Olsson his 3rd. Most of the others their second. Does this not suggest that, as a group they are not good enough to succed at this level? Compare this with Leicester last year who brought in Huth who had won medals at Chelsea and spent several years helping to preserve the top status at Stoke. Despite the dire position his mental strength spread throughout the team and he still has not been relegated..
The second disappointment is that Neil has not, at this level, been able t bring more mental strength to the team. The summer spending looks like being a disaster. The only arrival to start yesterday was Brady. Both Dorrans and Mulumbu have had experience of what it takes to stay in this division but they are only bit part players. Were they bad buys or have they been badly used? And I cannot for the life of me see why we rushed to give Jarvis a contract in January. We had seen little of him due to his injury and do we not have youngsters on loan who can provide cover wide? Jarvis has been involved in six of the last seven games. In the two he started we were well beaten by the time he was withdrawn. And in three of the four games he has been used as a substitute we have been drawing when he has been introduced and we have gone on to lose the game. This might just be unlucky but, if so, we cannot afford anyone bringing such bad luck!
Wasn’t it Brady who failed to close Albrighton down allowing him to cross for the game’s crucial moment? He’s had a decent season but the number of defensive lapses at key times from him is ever growing.
Basically we just aren’t good enough at either end of the pitch, but too early for recriminations to start. We need to pull together and somehow remain optimist. It’s not over yet, but failure against Swansea next week and we’ll need to do a ‘Sunderland’ type miracle.
Oh by the way, (1) and (4), the league we are currently in is called the Barclays Premier League. ‘Premiership’ is what they have up north. Glad to be of service.
Yesterday was one of those games as a supporter where you go into an immediate juvenile sulk exclaiming ‘it’s so unfair!’. Nothing jars quite so much as an apparent injustice. Our shortcomings mean there’s always something nasty lurking round the corner but we just didn’t deserve that yesterday. After all the hurt of recent weeks we deserved a break. We couldn’t win the toss of a double sided coin at present!
I know this game is about results but if Norwich show the same passion and determination for the rest of the season as they did at the King Power, then, I for one will be proud supporter whether we survive or not.
The point is Cityfan we just don’t have a scorer let alone a natural one. Even Naismith who is the only guy resembling a player capable of finishing in this league seems to have lost it after his first game for us.
You really cannot compete in this division without a solid centre back and at least one individual capable of taking chances week in week out.
Sadly it will probably take us at least a couple more relegations/promotions to get the message.
In summary it is just pay the price or be satisfied at the second rate ‘table’!