So it was there all the time. The answer I mean.
Bolt Timm Klose into that back four; go 4-2-3-1; sacrifice 75 per cent possession; scrap it out; put bodies on the line.
I jest of course (and yes I know Klose has been injured) but I’m sure the irony of only our second win of the season being achieved in a style befitting one Alex Neil was lost on no-one.
While we did our best to brush it off at the time, that fateful afternoon in Cambridge in mid-July has been costly, highlighted perfectly by the solidifying effect a fit Klose had on the back four yesterday.
And there’s irony in that too. The same Klose who was derided for a series of loose and below-par defensive performances last season – and who never recovered from that mauling by Daryl Murphy on the first derby day – has now entered the realms of defensive saviour.
His revealing post match chat with Radio Norfolk’s Chris Goreham included confirmation from the man himself that last season was underpinned by a ‘this’ll be a stroll’ attitude, only for it be horribly undone. That he was honest enough to admit it was quite something and if his bullish vow to right that particular wrong comes to fruition then we’ll see a very different Timm Klose this season.
And yesterday was a fine start.
With Grant Hanley literally waiting in the wings for the green light to kick off his City career, all of a sudden Daniel Farke has defensive options at his disposal, not all of whom have had their psyche scarred with some early season thumpings.
Key too to yesterday’s clean sheet was a reshuffling of the defensive shield given to that new look back four. Gone was Harrison Reed – a rising star if ever there one was one but who has struggled to single-handedly stem the tide in the last two away games – and in from the cold came one Alex Tettey alongside Tom Trybull; a name I’ll never tire of saying or typing.
The upshot was instead of the midfield ballast being provided by an energetic youngster who was straining at the leash to ‘join in’, there were two older, more experienced heads there who were content to ‘sit’ and allow the Maddison, Vrancic and Murphy triumvirate a free hand to create and support Nelson Oliveira.
As it transpired, as the game wore on, ‘Arry’s bunch of newbies (for once it may have been handy for them to have their names on the back and front of their shirts, and possibly their foreheads) did get rather more than a foothold, and so to have that effective shield protecting Messrs Klose, Zimmermann and co proved invaluable.
To have restricted the Blues, for all of their second-half possession, to just two dangerous free-kicks was a sterling effort in the aftermath of such recent defensive horrors and showed the last two weeks at Colney to be have been used effectively.
Of course we’re still a long way from where we want to be – and from where Stuart Webber and Daniel Farke want us to be – but it’s hard to overstate the importance of that win against the backdrop of our disappointing start. However early the day and however much patience we can collectively call upon, to have been beaten by a side that included six debutants and is managed by a second-hand car dealer would have caused ripples that I dare not even consider.
But the nerve was held, the chests were puffed and the world seemed just that little bit better at 5pm.
As an attacking force there is not too much to add. On another day we’d have added to the solitary goal and even if playing two defensive midfielders takes away one option in our rotating and fluid attacking midfield, we still looked a threat throughout, especially when the ball was at the magnetic feet of James Maddison on the edge of the opposition’s box.
Josh too again showed plenty of signs that he is emerging from that Murphy shadow and now has a swagger befitting one who can consider himself a regular. The decision making may not always be perfect and he and Marco Stiepermann did get themselves in a defensive muddle or two early on, but the knack he has of beating the first defender as if he’s in quicksand is priceless. So too that extra yard of pace to leave that defender once he’s past him.
And then of course there’s ol’ Nelson swaggering away up front. Few can do swagger quite like Mr Oliveira.
Fresh from from scoring for his country in the week, his early goal – from Klose’s cross-shot that looked like it was going in anyway – offered a fillip of the perfect variety and allayed my own personal fears of our current struggles with chasing a game.
With our noses in front it matters not then if the build up is a little ponderous and over deliberate, and it offers those tasked with keeping a clean sheet that little bit extra incentive to make that tackle and not miss that header.
And so it came to pass. With Klose as a partner, Christoph Zimmermann provided an almost error-free performance, and crucially found himself close enough to his partner not to permit any obvious gaps while still not being attracted to the same ball at the same time. One suspects Zimmermann will be the one to make way for a fully up-to-speed Grant Hanley but yesterday will have done his confidence the power of good.
Elsewhere, Ivo Pinto rose to the challenge of being handed the armband and did what Ivo Pinto does: cavaliering and swashbuckling in a forward direction in a way Greg Downs was rightfully proud of and making us all nip up when faced with a one-on-one and back-peddling. But he got the job done, as did Stiepermann after those early positional travails.
So, a win. A valuable one. And we find ourselves at the dizzying heights of 17th. A win on Tuesday against Burton and it’ll be a par start to the season.
And I think we’d have all taken that.
All true, Gary, including the similarities with Alex Neil’s set-up.
Two big differences, though. First, Daniel Farke came up with yesterday’s formation after using others; he may well tweak it again for Tuesday. In short, he’s showing a flexibility and adaptability that Alex singularly failed to show last year. Second, the style is still Farke’s – notably the build-up from the back. Timm Klose admits he has lessons to take from last season – but he’s also now working in a philosophy which clearly better suits his game and strengths.
OTBC
Some interesting reflections Gary… And Stewart’s comments too on what is different to last season, even if yesterday’s formation ended up being Neil’s favourite. There were more transitions too, shifts in the formation when City were attacking.
I was also interested to see the shift in possession that occurred. In the first quarter of the game we had about 67% of possession, but ended the match with 43%, with Birmingham having much more in the second half, as we sat back and restricted them, more the kind of performance that had been needed at Millwall (and Villa). The clean sheet was clearly Farke’s biggest relief, judging from his comments… and ours too.
I don’t believe Cambridge United will be on next year’s pre-season fixture list. Pritchard is also still out till seemingly the new year. An extremely expensive pair of kicks that happened in that game… and which have had a very significant impact on City’s season since.
Michael, your Cambridge comments are accurate and pertinent.
Stewart L..,
Your views? I find myself very much in concord.
Watching the football highlights, last night, something (non NCFC) struck me. In (almost?) every game the grounds – stadiums – were very bare of supporters, massive swathes of empty seats, indeed, in some cases a whole stand!
Fickle football fans, or the negative legacy of SKY and its resultant ‘child’ – the obcenely financially obese PL? An egocentic organisation if ever there was one!
I have stated more than once in my comments to this column, non PL football is in crisis. I have used the analogy, ‘if you don’t feed your soil, your resulting harvest will suffer . . . . eventually?’
Is the PL, an Armageddon masking itself as a Utopia? Food for thought, methinks????????
A wise man learns from mistakes and a fool continues to make the same mistakes. Conclusion is that Daniel Farke is the former and not the latter.
However the return of Tim Klose was a big plus yesterday and what an assured performance that was. For me the outstanding performance was that of Tom Trybull, who had ever heard of him when we signed him ?
The balance of the team will still need tweaks as some of the attacking momentum was lost yesterday. But defensive foundations where laid yesterday and that is what we have needed for a long time. I think a special mention for Ivo Pinto in the captains role is appropriate. He took to that responsibility like a duck to water, directing, cajoling and commanding his team mates appropriately. One stand out moment was Nelson Oliviera losing his cool after another robust challenge/assault came his way with Ivo calming the player down and talking to the ref.
The other thing that stuck in my mind was the response of the players at the final whistle and their celebrations. It clearly meant a lot to them and the supporters appreciate that.
A good win, roll on Tuesday night.
Great read Gary and well thought out and the following comments all have a point.
I was reading last night that both games won Naismith, Martin haven’t played andwe have made less error in defence when Franke doesn’t play.
Lets look at Franke 24 year old learning his trade in a new country possibly new language, new coach and new team mates that are all trying to adjust to similar changes, yesterday Farke could gave put him along side Klose with a similar result who’s to know and then someone would come out with similar stats about Zimmermann lets give them both time to improve in this league.
RM is coming to the end of a good city career and remember all the times he has put his body on the line to save a point or three, he has an illness thst he has to monitor (IBS) and unlike another player with the same illness tried to play whilst recovering not take a season off.
Naismith was and is the biggest waste of money AN ever purchased I think the only reason he is still with city is no one else would take him, his comment that he owes city a good season reflects that he is trying to convince us he wants to stay if someone came in with a good offer he would have gone without looking back.
RM is a dilemma should he play or not he doesn’t deserve all the flak he is getting so Farke has a decision to make lets hope it is the right one for both the player and the club.
Alert! Martin P.
It would appear (Alex B’s penultimate paragraph?) you have found a ‘friend’?
I love how stats produce ‘conclusive – damning evidence’, based on a very small sample. Many premature conclusions have crashed in flames! A simple observation – nothing more.
Re the German contingent, now swelling our green’n’yellow ranks? The 20th century has perhaps proved, Teutonia is not a country slow to learn, its leaders are quick to reverse a setback? Particularly so! (Militarily – not politics!)
Nick: fair comment and it’s not too easy to find “friends” whilst writing for a site such as this, of course. It’s hardly Tind*r, or whatever the latest trendy one is – it’s about football!
However I sent Gary my piece for tomorrow at about 0730 today, and Steven Naismith did get a mention in dispatches. It wasn’t positive, as you suggest.
A good comment from yourself.
No I am not a friend of RM and would say that any player who has worn the city colours as long as he has deserves respect.
At city we have had lots of players in their declining years and I can’t remember one getting as much stick as he is getting even ex ispwich players.
As football supporters we all have short memories and only remember the good times this will be the 5th manager he has had at city and survived 4 of them and all kept him as club captain so they must see something in him that we don’t.
Having missed yesterday’s game, and therefore being reliant on the usual sources for match day coverage, one thought occurs. There was much commentary, mostly negative, during the Alex Neil reign relating to the necessity for having two holding midfielders, especially in the second tier and at home. Yet, here we are praising its reintroduce.
“It’s a funny old game”, as someone once said!
One point about yesterday’s selection: of the outfirld starters I think only Oliveira had been on International duty. All the others were either on the bench or omitted altogether. So Farke has effectively worked for two weeks with available defenders and midfieldrs and then kept them together for the match. I like that approach – and it also shows we do have a fair amount of strength in depth.
it was the first game I’ve seen and agree with Andy Delf about Trybull – he put in one hell of a shift. Will be interested to see if he has the stamina to repeat that on Tuesday. I hope so, because he looked very capable of being a leader/organiser in that role
Vranic disappointed me – get the impression he needs to learn that falling over at the slightest nudge doen’t work so well here as it does on the continent
Good summing up of yesterday’s game Gary. The return of Klose was a massive plus for Herr Farke. How much we have missed him, and if his post match comments are to be believed, he is really up for it this time around. His effect on Zimmerman (who to me had been one of our better performers) was huge. (Why did we not pick him for Millwall?).
Also, a mention for Trybull…for me an excellent full debut, and he with either Reed or Tettey gives me more confidence of greater protection for our back four.
With the pace of Murphy (backed up by Wildschut’s cameo); the creativity of Maddison; the excellence of Oliviera, not to mention the fact we are missing one of the best creative midfielders in the division until possibly Christmas things do look rather better than at this time on Friday (amazing what 3 points can do!
OK, Birmingham were (like us) a work in progress, but given their much greater outlay I definitely think we are in a much better position than them.
O T B C
To those who, for whatever reason have dismissed – ducked – my earlier comment on empty stadia in the Championship? A word? I was most fortunate to be part of the attendances in NCFC’s, three highest home crowds. Yeah, I remember the Leicester match (Frank MacLintock?) the Sunderland clash (Charlie Hurley?) the other . . . . ? Hey, I am not about to try and impress, via Wiki facts. It WAS me – I know I was there! Those halcyon days of the early 60’s!
My point? Where have those supporters gone – post early 60’s? The population of the ‘ fine city’, has increased considerably. Indeed, countrywide?
Yeah . . . at plus 40,000, Carrow Road, did indeed – rock! Young kids over the, then, barriers, for reasons of safety.
A very different mindset then, Sheffield 1989, could never have been imagined. Football had yet to be so tragically tribal.
We get a solid, well constructed win and still people complain about Martin and Naismith. Plus ca change.
Gary Field.
Not that I am a user . . . holding midfielder = like make-up? It is perhaps it’s how its applied, utilised ? Mmmm?
After all, said benefactor, has to be ‘worth it?’
Good stuff Gary.
I always felt the poor form of Klose, amongst others, was due more to poor coaching and man management than the players themselves. On of the straws I clung to this summer was that a German coach would be able to bring the best out of Klose. He is such a good player. One of his biggest assessing the ability he has to improve his central defensive partner, in the premier league, Bennett was the main beneficiary.
Tettey adds some serious ballast to the defensive effort and I feel his omission was more political than tactical, given the earLy season lust for sales. With that option now gone, one hopes tettey is back Amongst the fold. Trybull, who impressed briefly against charlton was a revelation, everything was done with precision and a minimum of fuss.
The deadline day sale of Nelson would have brought the club to its knees and it is imperative we make the most of his huge talent before the inevitable nonsense starts up again in January.
In summation, one swallow doesn’t make a summer and our league position is nothing to smile about. However, praise to farke, both for the inclusion of tettey, Klose and trybull and the omission of several others who have not cut the mustard. Substance over style will do very nicely for the moment and it must continue to yield points on Tuesday night if we are to make headway.